The Doll
by AliciaMo
Summary: Renown scientist William Darcy is tired of dealing with the expectations of a real woman. He decides to make a companion based on the most ideal woman of his acquaintance, Elizabeth Bennet, and he offers her the most unusual proposal. M for mature sexual content.
1. Chapter 1

_I have this story outlined and pretty much completed. In all, there will be 10 Chapters (11 including the Prologue). This is for mature audiences only. Please let me know your thoughts good or bad. If the story isn't well received, I will not post the rest of it. I don't want to offend anyone. I thought it would be fun :) AM_

**The Doll Prologue**

" I don't care what you say about him." Elizabeth checked over her shoulder to make sure that they could not be overheard, before adding, " He's weird, Jane. And sometimes its kinda creepy." She retrieved the bag of the pre-mixed salad from the refrigerator. Tearing it open, she poured it into the waiting bowl. "I mean he stares at me. All the time. For the last seven months, week in and week out. You've seen him do it. How would you feel if you were me?"

"Lizzy, Will's just shy. Maybe you just intimidate him." Jane explained as she began to cut up a cucumber on the cutting board. She paused to pop a piece in her mouth. "Though, I agree he does stare at you a great deal. Maybe Charlotte is right and he admires you."

"Admire me? Oh, no, that man only looks at me to find fault. Of that, you know I'm being honest." Elizabeth opened the small container of grape tomatoes she brought from the Farmer's Market and added them to the bowl. "You remember what he said when Charles introduced me at your engagement party. " Adopting a deep, baritone voice, she said, " 'Tolerable, but not pretty enough to tempt me.' I mean really who talks like that in this day and age? It's like he's been trapped in another century and someone finally let him out of his time machine."

"I will agree he strikes me as being kind of old fashioned. Definitely, at odds with his views on computers and the like." Jane said as she bit into another of the sliced cucs. "But when you met, he was having a difficult time of it. You know he'd just found out his girlfriend of several years had cheated on him. That had to have jaded his opinion of women. I don't think that Charles told him he was introducing you that night." She shrugged her slender shoulders at her sister clearly at a loss. "I thought you'd forgotten all about his insult to you any way."

Clearly, Elizabeth hadn't. But, really, what woman would! Was there a woman alive who would rejoice in being labeled tolerable! She wiped her hand on a dish towel, adding spitefully, "I can't imagine why any woman would cheat on him with all his ample personality and charm."

"Since when did having charm and personality stop you from being hurt by the opposite sex. I mean you have both in spades and look at how many guys have cheated on you." Wide-eyed Jane covered her mouth with both hands before lowering them, immediately apologizing, "Sis, that didn't come out right at all. You know I think you are the best person in the world, Lizzy. If you weren't my sister you'd still be my best friend."

Elizabeth could not be offended by Jane. Her sister was already feeling bad enough for the slip. Playfully, Elizabeth tossed a tomato at her sister. "It's alright, I know what you meant."

Catching the small projectile deftly, Jane continued, "There's a man out there for you somewhere. One that is made specifically for you. Maybe you'll meet him at the wedding? You know Charles is inviting a lot of his friends from the hospital and he has even invited a lot of his old frat buddies. Many of them are single and should be thinking about settling down. I know he has been telling them all about you for weeks."

"Forget the 'to death do you part' stuff, Jane.'" Reminders of her failed love life was making Elizabeth very ill tempered indeed. "At this point, I'll settle for a man who knows his way around a woman's body and can remember my name in the dark."

"Lizzy, you know that is not true!" As Jane laughed, Elizabeth picked up the salad bowl, the tongs and the homemade bread she made and followed her sister through the swinging kitchen door to rejoin their guests in the small dining room of Jane's apartment.

Darcy and Charles were discussing something about a boat when the ladies rejoined them. The foursome were finalizing the engaged couple's wedding plans during this week's Monday night dinner, but Elizabeth would be lying if she was not looking forward to a break from them once the couple went on their honeymoon.

As Jane's maid of honor and Darcy taking on the best man role, the two had to discuss quite a bit over the last few months in preparation for the wedding. All of those conversations had started and ended uncomfortably whether they were in person or via phone. Elizabeth did not know much more about the man across from her than she knew when they were first introduced and most of what she knew she had heard from Charles or her sister and not from the man himself.

"What project is Darcy Electronics working on now?" Elizabeth asked feigning interest in the company he ran. They would have to have some conversation after all. He shifted in his seat uncomfortably. She shot Jane a telling look before teasing, "Is it top secret?"

Her question seemed to stump the brilliant man across from her. After a longer pause than would occur in a normal conversation, he wiped his lips and said, "If you really are interested, I am working on a robotics project that will revolutionize the industry."

"Are you working on robots for that Disaster Competition being held in Japan next winter?" She remembered seeing something about it on a recent 60 Minutes segment and had wondered then if his company had an entry. His bright eyes seemed to sweep over her face as if memorizing it.

"Well, Will, are you?" Charles asked.

"I'm not." He was watching her as closely as usual. "But, one of our robotics divisions is working on an entry into the DARPA competition. I'm working on a much bigger problem to mankind."

"A bigger problem? Something more important than finding a way to save people during a catastrophic disaster? Do tell." Elizabeth waited for him to continue, but when he didn't she chewed her lip and shook her head. Charles glanced at his friend and then apologetically at her before regaling them with stories from his latest shift at the ER.

***(***

Arriving home, Darcy went directly into his private lab. He was whistling.

"Welcome, Dr. Darcy. Did you have a good evening?"

"Yes, I did, Meira." The computer that ran his lab booted up his laptop as he slid into his familiar lab coat . He typed in his password and accessed the main record files containing the software for Project XY.

"Has the report of the newest batch of iris colors been finalized by the team?"

"No, Dr. Darcy. A report has not been forwarded."

"What about the materials I have requested reviewed for the silicon additives?"

"No, sir. Would you like me to check on the DARPA initiative to see if they have made any headway?"

"No. Once the reports are finalized please route it to the XY folder." He fished his recorder out of his jean's pocket. "Were the statistical abnormalities in the last round of plastique samples finished?"

"Yes, Dr. Darcy. Onscreen now."

He reviewed the graph and sat back. Sample A would be the most ideal. That was surprising. "Please notify Dr. Shindler that we will proceed with Samples A and Sample C. Sample Z will be the backup in case those two do not meet final specifications."

"Message sent."

He laid the small recorder on the table next to his computer and rewound the digital record queuing it to the precise spot. "Meira upload voice recording sample 145."

"Uploading."

"Playback."

"Is it top secret?" Her voice came through the speaker on his laptop. He frowned. Even with all of his careful planning, the recording was not what he had hoped. Could it be the recording devise malfunctioned? He fast forwarded the devise and hit play. "Do tell."

**_Damn! And Double Damn!_**

"Meira, I would like one of the prototype digital recording devises from the studio division that Dr. Avery is working on. Please have one routed to Mrs. Reynolds in the morning so I can have it for next week."

"Very good. Email has been sent."

"Bring up Samples 140-144. Play them chronologically on a loop." The recordings were not acceptable. Frustrated, he ordered, "Meira, delete Samples 140-145."

"Deleting."

Darcy sat back, drumming his fingers on the lab bench. He had tested four new recorders in the last month. Nothing had worked. Nothing had captured the exact sultry sexiness of the woman he had sat across from dinner every week. He was stumped.

Aimlessly opening each of the other hundred and thirty-nine sound files he had made, they all seemed flat and lifeless. He was avoiding the real problem. It was surprising unlike him. He dealt with problems as they arose - efficiently. Theorizing and hypothesizing had never been a difficulty in the past. Scientific reasoning had never before let him down. There had to be a solution.

The problem, he suspected, was that his mind was too full of the original. No imitation could be close enough. Be real enough. Every time he returned from being with her and then listened to the recordings, he felt the same way. Overwhelmingly disappointed. Spinning on his stool he went to the digital calendar on his wall. There was only two more weeks until the wedding. Only two more weeks. Never had a deadline seemed more daunting.

Once the wedding was over, Darcy would not see Elizabeth again socially for three months. Ninety days! Charles insistence to take his new bride away for such an extended honeymoon was definitely hampering him. He couldn't permit that long of a hiatus in working on his project. The timing was not convenient. Not when he was so close to completion.

Darcy felt tense. Standing, he paced. He didn't want to feel tension. He did not want to think about those empty ninety days without the normal infusion of her weekly presence. He could, he assumed, just go ahead and ask her out for dinner. Just the two of them. The thought filled him with sheer apprehension. Imagining him and her at a fancy restaurant in town. She'd expect conversation. She'd expect to be wined and dined. No, he wasn't going to ask her out and raise her expectations. He was not interested in the normal relationship she would insist upon. He'd had enough of women who didn't understand the importance of his work and who grew jealous of his spending time in his lab.

Walking over to his prototype, he admired his robot's perfect womanly shape. He had studied body types for months, visiting various strip clubs, taking surveys from thousands of men online. Somehow, though, as the project wore on, Xy had taken on more of her physical attributes rather than the composites selected as the most popular from his surveys. It had soon become obvious this was a personal project! Instead of a tall blonde with double Ds and a tiny waist, Xy was a petite brunette with generous rosy-tipped size C breasts, wide hips and an ample bottom. Elizabeth was enchantingly feminine, and he was determined that so would Xy.

Dark wavy luxurious hair flowed from the robot's head, her heart-shaped face contained a small scoop of a nose, a sensual mouth, and high cheek bones. It had taken months to perfect but Xy's lips were just the right wine color and her eye brows had the perfect arch of the original. He smiled in real pride.

His Xy was not just a pretty face. Oh, no. Inside of her cranium lived a powerful computer and state of the art memory chips. He had long given up trying to program her to talk the way Elizabeth did. Even a chaos program could not duplicate Elizabeth's wit, but he was getting close to duplicating her voice. Xy's responses would be programmed from a synthesis of the phrases he collected from Elizabeth.

Pulling back the sheet he kept Xy under, Darcy opened her eyes by tilting her head forward. Frowning, he decided the eyes still lacked that sprinkle of green he found mesmerizing in Elizabeth's. No matter what material they experimented with, his team failed to capture the ethereal glow in hers. While disappointed in how the eyes had turned out, he lowered his gaze and admitted her breasts were masterpieces.

Darcy reached out to stroke them and shut his eyes. The special silicon blend used, and patented by Darcy Electronics, made his doll's breast feel as silky as he imagined Elizabeth's would. He cupped both, circling his fingers over the doll's nipples. As the nipples warmed in his palm, they hardened. He smiled at the lifelike reaction. Another scientific breakthrough for which he had obtained a patent. Several scientists on his team were excited about the discovery. Sex toys which hardened as they heated up. The possibilities were endless.

But, Darcy was not interested in being revolutionary. He cared only for his current project and had no interest in creating other sexual toys. He was only interested in Xy. He had agreed with his team's suggestion that their customers would be able to pre-order their models online using their own selected specifications. The idea that other Xys would have the same combination of features of his own had almost unleashed a feeling of something akin to disgust. He was determined to make Xy as unique as Elizabeth herself.

He ran his hand over Xy bare midriff and down her legs. These were made from a thicker silicon and plastic mixture than her breasts, but they were both felt smooth and supple. He was a mixture of excitement and nervousness. Yes, there were items that needed to be tweaked. The bare cleft of Venus needed hair to appear natural and the feel of the Xy's vagina was still not lifelike when he engaged it in the act of fornication.

Maybe, he could figure out a way to simulate a lifelike orgasm?

Shutting his eyes, his mind created a vision of a brunette smiling up at him, arching underneath him, whispering his name as she squeezed him in the warm vise of her body. He shook his head to clear it troubled that his fantasizes were not of his creation but of the real woman he had left tonight after dinner.


	2. Chapter 2

*****HELP! I obviously need a Beta. Anyone interested?******

**The Doll Chapter 2 - Mid -May - The Wedding **

It was really a crying shame, Elizabeth decided as she watched him cross the dance floor, that William Darcy was such a boring stick in the mud. He was a very attractive man. But, she'd be lying if she said she hadn't been dreading their obligatory maid of honor/best man dance all week. She turned to Charlotte who was standing next to her. "Do you remember what my mom told us prom night?"

"Oh, Lizzy, quit it! You know you really cannot tell how good a man is in bed by the way he is on the dance floor."

Elizabeth gave her a knowing look as she joined Darcy on the dance floor. She'd pegged him as one of those uncoordinated, nerdy white guys who simply rocked back and forth in time with the music, but as soon as he took her hand in his she realized how very wrong she was. He was a sensational dancer. As he led, she marveled at the fact their bodies seemed to have a natural affinity for one another.

His silence was the only anchor she could cling to her reality. It helped her to remember how weird he was. How he must be hating this dance every bit as much as she was. She would not torture them both by trying to start a conversation with him. Besides, she told herself meanly, it was unlikely he had anything to say that would amaze the room

Sighing, she glanced over his shoulder taking in the crowd. There were several attractive available men in the crowd thanks to Charles who had delivered on his promise to invite many of his single friends, but she had not met one who had appealed to her so far. There were several uncommonly pretty woman too she noted. Catching the jealous eye of more than one, she fought the urge to smirk as Darcy smoothly waltzed them around the dance floor.

He destroyed her sense of ease when he said, "The wedding was beautiful." Darcy had barely said ten words to her the entire day. He chose to start talking now?

"Even though I didn't think so at first, my friend and your sister do make an excellent match."

What did he mean he hadn't thought so at first? "Well, I'm glad you approve of them."

He offered, "You make it sound like they needed my blessing?"

"Not Jane, but didn't Charles?" She challenged, looking up at him. Even in heels, he stood three inches taller than her. Another annoyingly attractive point in his favor.

Their song ended not a moment too soon. His warm hand pressed lightly against her bare spine causing a rippling sensations ricocheting throughout her body. "Thank you for the dance, Elizabeth. It will be the highlight of my evening."

She snorted. His sarcasm was really unnecessary. His face was serene and there was absolutely no indication their dance had affected him in any way while her body felt like it was a house on fire. To be honest, his calm indifference just pissed her off. She rolled her eyes knowing she was being immature. "You're so very welcome, Will."

When she made to pull away, he momentarily tightened his hold on her stopping her. "Elizabeth, have I said something to upset you?"

She shut her eyes wishing for his inability to feel. "Of course not."

"You seem upset."

"Well, I'm not." She seethed. "I should know how I feel, shouldn't I?"

He cocked his head at an angle but his blank expression did not change. "You were upset yesterday when I arrived late. You look just like that now."

She couldn't help correcting him. "Do you mean when you stood me up, Will?" Yesterday, they were suppose to meet at Kelloggs to pick up the table center pieces for today's reception at noon. When she'd gotten to the venue and after she'd lugged in all of the forty-two boxes by herself, he'd finally showed up well after two.

"Yes, I suppose, technically one could say I stood you up." He agreed, then added in his fluid voice. "But, I did eventually meet you here. And, I apologized."

Darcy had apologized. It was done without an ounce of sincerity and explained that he'd been working late in his lab and had simply lost track of time. Weirdo! It did nothing to soothe her anger that he put the majority of the centerpieces together by himself. In fact, it was particularly unsatisfying that he never showed the slightest trace of impatience no matter how many times she made him move the same centerpiece from table to table until the overall effect was deemed perfect.

"You know what, let's not argue." She held up a hand, well aware of the fact he was not arguing with her. It was a dig. "Let's just agree to get through this reception, okay? After today, we won't be seeing each other for a few months. I think it'd be a good idea when Jane and Charles return from their honeymoon that we both find excuses to not start those infernal Monday dinners back up."

Without waiting for a response, she headed toward her seat at the head table fighting an overwhelming desire to cry. It must be the stress of the wedding that was making her so emotional. Feel this way!

"Yes, Yes. It is time, ladies!" The DJ's overexcited voice taxed the sound system in the reception hall before Beyonce's voice came through, "All the single ladies, all the single ladies, all the single ladies put your hands up!" The DJ stopped spinning the song, before clarifying, "All the single ladies out there proceed to the dance floor. It's time for the bride to toss her bouquet."

Before she could plan a stealthy retreat from the reception hall, Charlotte ambushed her from behind and drug her by the arm back to the center of the dance floor. When she made to object, Charlotte cast her a resigned look, "If I have to do it, so do you!"

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw her mother had moved to the edge of the floor and was eyeing her rather suspiciously. There was going to be no escaping this humiliating rite of passage. She felt very much like a show pony on display and backpedaled to the rear of the group!

Giggling and glancing over her shoulder at the gathering women, Jane had never looked more beautiful. It was Elizabeth's firm opinion that there was no one else in the world who deserved happiness more than her angelic sibling. After much good natured ribbing from the gathered circle of guests, Jane launched the bouquet of roses and babies' breath in a high arch over her head.

The reaction of the women present was comical. It all happened in slow motion all around her. Elbows were throw, hair was pulled, feet were stomped on. Two women, both spinsters in their early fifties, banged into each other mid-air. Her younger sister, Lydia actually stepped on the back of one of them in her enthusiasm, but just managed to tip the offensive object in her direction. Charlotte made a grab for it but instead of the bouquet caught Lydia who was being pulled backwards to earth by gravity. Elizabeth threw up her hands in an effort to protect herself but ended up spearing the ribbon of the bouquet with her ring finger. Bringing her hands down, it was clear she had 'caught' the very object she had wished to avoid.

Elizabeth weathered the glares of open hostility from several of the women. Jane bolted across the distance to her and wrapped her in an almost painful hug. "I can't believe you caught it! I told you there will be a man coming into your life. It will be soon, you wait and see." Elizabeth turned to slink off the dance floor, but the DJ reminded her not to go too far away as she would be needed after the garter toss.

Then, it was the gentlemen's turn. All available single men in attendance filed onto the dance floor. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad? Elizabeth could not help but feel her self-confidence raise as several of the men eyed her with open appreciation.

A chair was produced and Jane took her seat blushing. The DJ asked Charles if he was ready to get the garter from his wife. After rubbing his hands together and biting his lip, he indicated he was. The DJ playfully reminded the happy couple that Charles was not allowed to use his hands in the process. Moving to 'Let's Get It On,' Charles reached Jane, slowly working her skirt up around her thigh, carefully keeping her covered, while he dipped his head under his wife's skirt. Charles made quick work of his project before he jumped up holding the garment high above his head for all to see.

Finally, the guys gathered in a circle and the garter was launched. There was movement in the group of men and finally after a scuffle of some duration, Vince, one of the Brody twins, rose victorious. As Leggs by ZZ Top blared through the sound system, she was brought to the chair Jane vacated by her mother. There was nothing for it. Instead of sitting like a sour puss, she might as well enjoy being the center of attention. She swiveled in her chair, smiling widely at Vince then playfully curled a finger in his direction. The crowd cheered appreciatively.

Grinning wickedly, Vince played along swinging the garter around his finger. He dropped to his knees in front of her, he grabbed her foot, made a show of first removing her high heel before he ran a finger along her instep making her laugh, and finally he slid the garter high up and under her skirt. Never before had Vince, who was a son of one of her mother's best friends, seemed so attractive. After she regained her shoe and they had their picture snapped together, Vince hovered at her side placing a possessive arm around her waist. It felt nice. He was not a stranger, but an old friend she had not seen in a while. The best of both worlds, something new while being something old too.

When they were no longer the center of attention, he quietly asked if she would dance with her. She agreed. The lights lowered to match the slow music that the DJ played. She looked up at him as his hands planted on her hips. Anticipation bloomed as she was sure she'd enjoy this partner much more than she had her last.

Vince smiled down at her, "So, Little Lizzy Bennet has all grown up, I see."

She quirked an eyebrow. She had last seen Vince a few years ago, but she looked very much the same now as she had then. He swayed her to the right. "Have I grown up?"

"Yes, you have. I mean you certainly didn't look like this the last time I saw you. I'm kicking myself now. I should've taken your mom up on her offer to come to the club and go swimming with your family last summer." To the left.

"Really?" She was not surprised to hear that her mother had attempted some match making effort on her behalf. She did it all the time. To the right. She felt as if she were at a high school dance. "Did my mom invite you?"

"Yes, she did. If I'd any idea what I was missing, I wouldn't have avoided it so thoroughly."'

Elizabeth laughed at his expression. "I hope you wouldn't have made it so easy for her." He looked confused. "My mom loves the thrill of the chase."

"And does her daughter? Enjoy the thrill of the chase or does she prefer to be caught?"

"I'm not sure if I should say." She flirted. "All I will admit is that I'm in debt to you for last summer. On the off chance you were going to show up, my mom would drag me off bikini shopping. I got some rather nice pieces thanks to you."

"Well, I'm glad you got something out of it." He pouted before turning her in a small circle. Look out, she thought dryly, this guy had some major moves. She thought again about the comparison her mother had drawn between a man's ability on the dance floor to his skill in bed. "Though I would hope you would've enjoyed my company more than a new bikini."

"I don't know. Some of them were pretty spectacular."

He pulled back from her and made a show of glancing over her entire body. Swayed rather woodenly to the left. "I don't know if anything could improve on this dress. Damn, it's sinful."

"Is it?"

"Yes, I can think of only one better place for this dress than on you."

"And where would that be?"

Vince smiled. "On my bedroom floor."

Eww! Elizabeth could barely contain the groan. He was a sports agent, you would think he really would have better material. When he pulled her closer, Elizabeth realized the bulge in the front of his trousers was not much of an inducement either. She put her hands on his shoulders and pushed gently when he started grinding against her.

"I don't think this is a good idea. Your mom and mine are probably watching us right now from behind one of those potted plants. You know what my mom will be thinking."

Vince wasn't willing to give up yet. He pounced, kissing her with gusto. She endured his attention but felt zero fireworks. Elizabeth was able to extricate herself from his embrace disgusted that he tasted strongly of beer and Jagermeister bombs. No, there was no way she could go home with him.

Besides, enough damage was done. Her mother was probably high fiving his, toasting with champagne, already planning the nuptials to officially unite the two families on account of that one brief kiss. Elizabeth could already hear the call tomorrow morning. Her mother with excited orders to spill on her night of debauchery. There were no boundaries as far as her mother was concerned. Even if her mother was not a renown sex therapist who delighted in prying into all aspects of her daughter's lives, she would be cross-examined. Vince turned her again, right, left, right, left. She glanced over his shoulder bored and her attention landed on Darcy of all people. He was sitting at the head table by himself, stiffly watching the people interacting around him clearly wishing he were anywhere else. Not enjoying a minute of his best friend's wedding.

The slow song petered out and the DJ announced it was time for the father and daughter dance.

With a lump in her throat, Elizabeth watched as her father proudly led Jane to the dance floor. After a few moments, Charles led her mother to the dance floor. It was difficult to imagine how a man as quiet and reserved as Benjamin Bennet had met and fell in love with someone as exuberant as her mother. Well, Elizabeth supposed, her parents did have their quirks and there was the occasional argument. No one could hold a grudge like her mother and her father could be quiet flippant on occasion. Once when she had been ten, there was even a short separation and talk about a divorce. However, the two had reconciled. A few months after her father had moved out, he moved back in and their relationship grew even stronger. In fact, Elizabeth sighed with relief, her parents were going to be leaving for their thirtieth anniversary cruise to Alaska in just a few days. She'd only have to endure her mother's hounding about her singlehood for forty-eight hours.

Then, it was time for the couples' first dance. Elizabeth was touched by the way Charles approached her father respectfully before folding her sister carefully in his arms. Tears stung her eyes. She knew it was a purely selfish thing, but she could not help but wonder when was it going to be her turn. When would she find such happiness? She wouldn't be satisfied with someone with Charles' sunny disposition - he smiled too much - but she hoped someone out there would cherish her the way her brother-in-law clearly cherished her sister. She wanted to be a man's partner. Bring out the best in him and have him bring out the best in her. Was that really too much to ask?

When other couples were told to join in, Vince sheepishly approached her again. "If I promise to behave myself, Lizzy, will you dance again with me?"

She smiled at his contrite tone and agreed. After all, dancing with Vince was better than sitting out the dance entirely as a wallflower.


	3. Chapter 3

**If anyone is interested in beta-ing for me. I would appreciate it. I always seem to catch my errors after posting. Thanks!****

Chapter 2

Disappointingly, Elizabeth returned solo to her apartment after the wedding. Vince had been persistent that she return to his place with her so they could 'catch up' but she had decided after his first kiss that she wasn't as attracted as she needed to be to build up such expectations with her mother. Their mothers, she knew, would see the night's events as encouragement to only redouble her efforts to hook her and Vince up. Oh, why had she thought dancing with Vince that second time was a good idea?

It could have been worse! Right now, she would be hounded for a few weeks. If she had left with Vince, it would be months before she would have any peace. Well, she decided slipping out of her coat, that since she had not met the man of her dreams tonight she would just need to spend some time with her trusty battery operated Prince Charming. Her mother had not provided much useful information over the years, but she had a favorite saying, 'a dog might be a man's best friend, but a good vibrator was a girl's.'

"Can I get an amen?" Elizabeth told her dim bedroom as she took hers out of her nightstand. All she needed for a night of fulfillment was a glass of wine and a pack of new batteries and she was set.

Gah, she was tense! Rolling her neck she tried unsuccessfully to get the knots of muscles at her neck to relax. It was all William Darcy's fault. This was all because of her forced interaction with him at the wedding and the reception. That man could make her blood boil. In a mocking voice, she said, _"Thank you for the dance, Elizabeth. It will be the highlight of my evening."_ Highlight of the evening, my foot! He was such a sarcastic jerk! What else could you call a man who left his best friend's wedding without a by your leave?

After the couple's first dance had ended, it was time for the couple to depart for their honeymoon. As the maid of honor, Elizabeth had helped Jane get her belongings in order and make sure that nothing was left behind. However, when she asked after Darcy because Charles had another groomsmen helping him, Jane had told her that he had just up and left. He'd just vanished. Well, good riddance! She'd never enjoyed an association with a man less than she had him. It wasn't like she was mourning the loss of his presence. No indeedy. She just thought it was rude. How could Darcy have done something like that to Charles, his best friend!

Stripping out of her bridesmaid dress, Elizabeth hung it carefully back in her closet while trying to forget her annoyance with the mercurial man. She cooled her rising temper in a much needed cold shower before she changed into her normal sleepwear of a white t-shirt and boy shorts.

Padding to the kitchen for a glass of water, Elizabeth definitely needed to be on her "A game" when her mother rang at first light. She definitely did not need a hangover when that call came in. Her mother had probably already given her cell phone number to Vince's mom. She groaned out loud at the thought and felt tension return to her shoulder blades.

Searching for fresh batteries in her utility drawer in the kitchen, she jumped at the sudden banging on her front door. For one brief moment, she wondered if her mother had given Vince her address. Her door bell went to work, clanged loudly several times in quick succession. Clearly whoever was beyond her door was impatient for her to answer. She glanced through the peek hole once, took a step back, and then stared out the hole again to make sure she wasn't imagining things.

_What was Will Darcy doing at her house at 1 am? _

There could only be one explanation for his presence here at such an hour. Before he could ring her doorbell again, she jerked the door open causing the security light to bathe the landing to her apartment in light.

"What's wrong? Is something wrong with Charles or Jane?"

He stood blinking at her. "No, nothing's wrong with them. I just saw them off at the airport." His bow tie was undone and hanging loose around his neck. His air was mused. He glanced at his wrist watch. "They're probably over a fifth of the way to England in my private jet."

Charles had refused to tell Jane where their honeymoon destination was. She gaped at him, "England in your _private jet_?"

"Yes. They're going to stay at my family's ancestral estate, Pemberley, for a month. After that they're taking my yacht to Greece, where they're borrowing my villa there for the rest of their honeymoon." He added in that same unaffected way he had, "It was my gift to them."

"Well, don't I feel cheap. All I got them was a place setting."

"I'm sure they'll love it." Came the snarky reply.

**What a miserable, miserable man!**

Elizabeth could literally feel her blood pressure rise with her temper as they stood there facing one another. She knew she was being rude not inviting him in to her apartment but she could not fathom why he was on her doorstep at this time of night. She wasn't sure she should let him in without first obtaining that information.

A clap of thunder startled her. Over his shoulder, an amazing lightening display danced across the black sky. Seeing it, she backed up into the living room. She was scared of storms. Still he did not enter. He remained rigidly on the landing waiting like some sort of unfeeling robot. _Maybe he needed an invitation to come inside? Maybe he was a vampire? A happiness sucking vampire! _She shook herself from her silly thoughts. Besides, she reminded herself, she'd seen him more than once outside during the day under a perfectly good sun.

"Oh, just come on in, Will. It looks like it is going to get nasty out there."

Before he took a step over the threshold, his eyes cast about the room before coming to rest on her again. "I thought maybe you might be entertaining. I don't want to intrude."

"Do you think I'd answer my door if I was "entertaining" someone? And, if you didn't want to intrude, why are you here in the middle of the night doing just that?" Really, he could have simply called her. It wasn't like he didn't have her number. Or he could have emailed, tweeted, texted, face-booked her like any other normal sane person. Then again, she couldn't imagine Darcy being the 'selfie' sort. She crossed her arms in front of her waiting for him to explain his presence here.

"I'm assuming those are rhetorical questions." He shoved his hands into the pockets of his pants. When he spoke, his voice was crisp and even. "You're probably wondering why I am here."

"Figured that out by yourself, did you Nostradamus?" She was definitely too tired for him tonight. She was just about to suggest he leave and take his puzzling behavior with him when they skies parted outside and torrential rain flung against the open windows in her living room. It was as if God himself was out to get her today. "Crap!"

Springing into action to secure the window in her small apartment, Elizabeth dashed from the living room, to the kitchen, to the bathroom and finally to her bedroom. It was with great reluctance she shut the two small windows there. With her air conditioner perpetually on the fritz, she was not looking forward to sleeping in such stifling heat. Pressing her forehead to the cold glass in futility, she whimpered. Nothing, absolutely nothing, was going her way today. There was no way her night could get worse.

Then, Elizabeth turned and found herself nearly colliding with Darcy. He was standing like a statue in the middle of her bedroom, letting his indifferent attention drift about her room. She grimaced at the clothes that occupied her cramp closet floor. She darted forward shutting the door, explaining to him. "It's been a hectic two weeks. With the wedding and everything, there hasn't been time to do laundry."

He said nothing as his eyes continued taking in the unmade bed, her nightstand, the impossible to ignore vibrator on said nightstand. Her lamp was like a spotlight for the sex toy that was standing proudly underneath it. She felt all the blood drain from her face as it became quite clear from his expression that he had noticed her date for the evening too.

**Just kill me now!**

Elizabeth wished the ground would just open up and swallow her. She rounded on him. "Will, why are you here?"

While her brain was busy asking her, "Why had she answered the door? Why had she let him in? Why had she let him follow her to her bedroom?" As soon as she found out nothing was wrong with Charles and Jane, she should've shut the door in his face and left him to drown in the storm outside. She could just imagine what he was thinking of her at the moment. A woman so desperate for release she had to provide her own! Moving quickly, she tugged him by the arm back into her living room. She went straight to her front door.

"Not that I can't say this was fun." Embarrassed, she opened it and waved her arm.

He didn't take her hint to leave. Instead, he looked . . . . agitated. For a man who showed little to no emotions over the course of their acquaintance, there was a decidedly unhinged look about his features tonight. A hand rushed through his curls and she came to understand why his hair was in disarray. He finally said, "Charles told me you still have not been able to find a job."

Out of all the possible things he could have said, she would never have guessed he would say that. Yes, it was true. Like many people, she was unemployed. She was surviving on her meager savings. She crossed her arms in defense again. "That's right, Will. I suppose you came all the way across town in the middle of the night to offer me a job?"

"Yes." He had come here at this hour to offer her a position? To employ her? There was an odd fervor in his eyes. "That's exactly what I've come here to do. I want to hire you."

Stunned, Elizabeth shut the door to her apartment. She wasn't sure how her Culinary Degree could be used at his electronics firm. Maybe he needed someone to work in his cafeteria? She'd been to his workplace once during the planning of the reception and to co-ordinate the bridesmaids and groomsmen. She'd been impressed at the ultramodern facility in general, but did she really want to work for him? True, serving him food in a hairnet really was not one of her life's ambitions. But, heck, it was a job. She couldn't afford to play a snob when rent was coming due.

Elizabeth wished she'd grabbed her robe when she was in the bathroom. She'd never been on a job interview before in her underwear and felt decidedly under-dressed. "When would I start?"

"Immediately." His voice grew husky. He blinked and made another pass at his hair. "I am willing to pay you fifty-thousand dollars for three months of work. Does that sounds acceptable to you?"

_So much money_? She doubted seriously that they were talking about her working in the cafeteria at his firm. She licked her lips. She remembered her cousin had one of those games on her cell phone. Cooking Mama, wasn't it called? Maybe, he wanted her as a consultant for some sort of game he was developing?

"What exactly would this job you're offering me entail?"

His eyes drifted over her in that disapproving way he had. It made her feel like a bug he wanted to squish under the heel of his foot. "I am interested in cohabitating with you."

A loud earth shaking clap of thunder rocked the area at the same time she was not sure she heard him correctly. There was no way she had. "Excuse me," she pressed a hand to her ear, then laughed. " I thought you said co-habitation, like I'd be living with you."

"I did. You would. For the next three months." He nodded, his gaze earnest, never once leaving her face. "I need you to be at my beck and call. Around the clock. It is the only way I can get my project done."

"Beck and call? " Was he serious? "Around the clock?"

"Yes." He sat down on her couch uninvited, placing his palms on his thighs. Like a robot would!

Her mind scrambled for a logical conclusion. Maybe he wanted her to be his private chef? The very rich often had them. Maybe his current one was going to go on vacation. "You want me to cook for you?"

"If you like. Or, we could eat out." He chuckled then, a pleasant sound she'd never heard before, as if he had just told a private joke. His gaze warmed changing his expression as if his features were coming through melted ice. "All I need for you to do is agree to participate in some tests for a project I am working on."

Drawn to him, she sat on the arm of the sofa feeling as if she was trying to piece out some sort of riddle. She was intrigued in spite of herself. "Do these tests have something to do with your 'top secret project'?"

"The tests I want to conduct are actually vital to its success."

And, he wanted her help? Maybe his top secret project had something to do with food? Feeding the homeless? That would definitely be on par with some sort of catastrophic event and use her unique skill set. "What kind of tests would we be doing?"

"Just some measurements, tests for sensitivity."

"Sensitivity?" She enunciated the word as if it was a foreign language trying to piece together what sensitivity and food production had in common. Could he be doing some tests for food allergies? "What kind of sensitivity?"

For a moment, he was in a debate with himself and she wondered if he was going to continue talking at all. His gaze met hers and held. In his aggravatingly calm clear voice, he said, "I'm interested in your nipple sensitivity, Elizabeth."

A wave of shock quivered throughout her body. She squeaked, "Nipple sensitivity?"

"Yes." He leaned forward, "I also want to know how your body feels when you orgasm."

There went her earlier thoughts that he had nothing to say to amaze the room!

In fact, Elizabeth sincerely believed that for the rest of her life nothing would amaze her more than Darcy sitting across from her like an automaton talking to her in a clinical manner about her nipples and orgasms as if he were her gynecologist. Not even her mother had been able to shock her to this extent and she had years of practice. Clearly, she'd not drunk enough at the wedding tonight. She stood with every intention of going to her front door and throwing him out but her feet refused to move.

"Did you just say orgasm?" She questioned.

"Yes, when we have sex."

Elizabeth sat down heavily again on the sofa arm. **Could she have been struck by lightning?** Button down, proper, Will Darcy wanted to hire her to have sex with him? He looked patient. As if, he had asked her to pass the salt at dinner. One cool customer. She finally was able to find her way out of her labyrinth of disbelief.

"Well, I'm sorry to disappoint you, Will, but I'm not comfortable with the idea of being someone's prostitute. Even a well paid one."

"Prostitute?" He scowled a strange configuration on his tranquil face. "I'm wouldn't be paying you for sex, Elizabeth! No, no. Not at all. My interest in having sex with you is not about sexual gratification. It is purely for scientific purposes."

"Scientific purposes?" She had to give him points for creativity. No man had ever proposed she jump into the sack with them in order to forward science.

He fiddled with his watch looking almost impatient at having to explain the matter. "You asked a few days ago what I was making at Darcy Electronics. I am making a female companion."

This just kept getting better and better. "You? You're making a sex doll? You're kidding, right?" Laughter bubbled from her before she finally realized what was happening. "You need to tell Charles he is awful for putting you up to this. You really had me going there for a minute. A sex doll, what a hoot!"

Only, he wasn't laughing with her.

His serious expression could have been cut in granite. "You know me well enough to know I don't joke, Elizabeth. This is a serious offer and I need you to approach it as such."

His admonition made the humor die in her throat. He continued, "I need access to you. More than I have now. I need _unrestricted access_ to your body whenever I want it. I need to catalogue the feel of your hair, the softness of your lips, the weight of your breasts, the swell of your hips, the curve of your ass. I need to memorize every salacious inch of you. Only then, do I want to experience you sexually and bring you to orgasm."

Elizabeth almost forgot to breath, finding his admission to be highly arousing. It must be the fact he was always so naturally reserved. To hear him talk about her, and in such a way, was shockingly hot. For one moment, he almost seemed like a normal horny male. Albeit, in a mad scientist kind of horny male. A male she could drag back to her bed and give him a whole new appreciation for the items he catalogued.

However, her mind screamed, this is William Darcy!

Elizabeth was dumbstruck. She opened her mouth and closed it several times, but no sound was produced. They'd known each other all these months and never once had she considered him capable of this. She'd never imagined he had a sex life at all, so it was hard to reconcile him having such interests. More discombobulating was the fact that in all those hours they shared, she could never have guessed that he found her in the least bit desirable.

**Of course, her answer was no. A resounding no. **

Unaware of the nature of her thoughts, Darcy concluded. "As I stated, we will start out with some easy tests. I'll need to compare Xy to you textually. We'll start with your hair, you skin. Then, we'll move on to your lips." He wet his own, cleared his throat. "Then, your breasts. Your Venus cleft. As I have stated, when the product is close to completion we'll start the sexual trials."

My God, was she sweating? She needed air. "Oh, yes, the sexual trials."

"During which, I'll wear condoms. I insist that you take birth control. I think we'll both agree that we don't want an unwanted pregnancy resulting from this experiment. I just want the data I need to finish my project and you will be handsomely reimbursed for your time. And, when the ninety days are over, we'll go our separate ways. You said at the wedding you don't want to continue the dinners with Charles and Jane so when would we see each other?"

Elizabeth processed this. She was already on birth control to regulate her periods. As far as him wearing condoms that was a given. She never had unprotected sex and she certainly wouldn't be starting with someone downright freaky as him. She agreed about wanting to avoid an unwanted pregnancy. Though she loved children, she didn't want one right now. She could barely take care of herself. If she was searching for a partner to raise her child with, she would definitely not pick someone so clinically cold as William Darcy. Though, their children would definitely have good genes. She shook her head. What was she doing, thinking about condoms, birth control and babies when she was never going to go along with this scheme of his.

"I have simple tastes, Elizabeth." He actually reached across to her and took her hand in his. "I like sex in the morning when your body is naturally aroused. I like giving and receiving oral stimulation. I prefer the missionary position, but I'm well versed in all the positions in the Kama Sutra. I don't care for anal sex, but I'll forgo my distaste for it if you like it. If you prefer vibrators to me, we can experiment with them." She felt her face flush at the reminder and she attempted to pull back her hand. He held on to it, rubbing his thumb over her knuckles. "I will try anything you think will give you pleasure. If you prefer having more than one sexual partner at a time - "

She had to know in that can't look away from a wreck sort of way. "You've been with more than one woman at a time?"

He dropped her hand and stood up, turning his back to her. "My last girlfriend preferred it when we brought home another woman or two to join us."

"Your girlfriend brought home other women for you to have sex with?" He couldn't be serious. "And you didn't like that? Most guys would kill for that."

"Yes, Cheryl felt it somewhat daunting to keep up with my sexual demands and she suggested that we bring other women in to help satisfy them. No, I did not enjoy having multiple women at a time as much as I thought I would. We broke up when I refused to continue."

There were so many questions she wanted to ask. "Charles told us that she cheated on you."

"He assumed she cheated on me. I didn't correct him when he asked. It was easier to let him believe that then the truth." His eyes hardened. "Anyway, after my relationship ended with Cheryl, I started working on Xy."

"Why don't you just hire a prostitute or two?" She asked trying to be helpful. She was struggling to maintain her composure. "Or three?" Hell, Darcy had enough money, he could buy his own personal Bunny Ranch.

"I'm trying to make you understand." He shook his head, "Not just any woman will do. Xy has to be special. I need you to make her special. She has to turn me on so I can have sex with her whenever I want, as much as I want. I don't have to worry about unrealistic expectations that women develop in a relationship. After I am done with her final touches, I will be free to turn my attention on other worthwhile projects."

Even as what he was proposing revolted her, Elizabeth couldn't help feel somewhat flattered by his offer. And, a little sad for him. Obviously, his ex-girlfriend had pushed him quite literally over the edge. What type of woman would make him feel like he was odd because he liked sex? Most men liked sex. Hell, most women she knew liked it too. She did. A lot. A part of her, a strangely foreign part, wanted to know if she'd be able to succeed in keeping up with his sexual demands or if he'd wear her out as he had his ex-girlfriend.

Shaking herself mentally, she reminded herself she was going to say no. There was no way she could ever say yes. It was only to satisfy her curiosity that they were continuing this conversation. He wasn't interested in her sexually she told herself. He only wanted her for some strange freaky science fair project. How freaky would it be?

"Would I be hooked up to sensors and stuff? Like in 'Masters of Sex'?" It was her mother's favorite show. She had been forced to binge-watch the first season with her mother two weeks earlier. She bit her bottom lip, some of the scenes in the show would definitely be fun to reproduce. "Would we be in a lab somewhere? Would there be people watching us?"

He seemed to be expecting these types of questions. "The tests I conduct will be done in the comfort of my penthouse. I don't need to know about your heart rate and the like so we won't need sensors. You won't be hooked up to anything but me. I'll be comparing you textually. With regards to the sexual trials, I will go from being inside you to testing products designed by my scientists. Other than keeping me hard, you won't have to do anything else. I just need to find which materials best approximate your vaginal walls. I imagine a side by side comparison will be needed at that point." Again, his proposal was having an odd effect on her. She found it hard to sit still. Glancing down, she saw that her nipples had hardened. Her thin shirt was not much of a barrier to her response to him. He sat down again, took her hand in his. "It will be private, Elizabeth. Tasteful. You won't have to do anything you are not comfortable. I will do my very best to arouse you to the point that you orgasm every time we have sex."

"Every time?" She wondered, "And, how often would you imagine we'll have sex for your experiment to be successful?"

"I imagine when we get to the sex trials that we'll have to have sex a couple of times a day. Once I narrow down the materials, we can have sex whenever you want until our ninety days are up."

_A couple of times a day? Wow! _"When would the sex trials start?" **No, Lizzy, no!**

"Around the sixty day mark. However, if the other tests go well, perhaps sooner."

She frowned. Two months of these conversations? She wasn't sure if she could wait that long.

He had continued, "The only thing that I imagine will be invasive will be the equipment to film us. To document the experiment, I will need to keep video records of our sessions for later review."

He wanted to make videos of them together? There was no way she was going to have sex videos out in the world and be perpetually concerned that in might surface someday on some porn site somewhere where _her parents _could stumble across. Videos always came back to bite you in the ass.

"No videos, Will. If I agree to do this, I must insist there will be no videos."


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: Day 1 May 16, 2014**

Elizabeth watched the sun rise from her bed. She'd not slept at all after Darcy had left her because her mind simply would not quiet long enough for her to drift off. Her body felt like someone had scrubbed her roughly from head to toe with a loofa making her feel surprisingly tender, yet taunt with anxious need. Over the last six hours, the shock of her visitor and his offer had not lessened. It was impossible to think of anything or anyone save him.

Elizabeth felt alone. She normally could hash out any moral dilemma with her father. Duels had fallen out of fashion in modern times, but she definitely could see her father getting down one of the antique guns from his study. That is, if he could find the gun lock key. Her mother was out. She could just imagine her reaction. "It's not like you have any other prospects. Being with Will for the next three months could throw you in the path of other eligible men." Elizabeth rubbed her temples feeling the beginning of the headache she had every intention of avoiding when she was in the kitchen last night. Her mother, she suspected, would try to get her to write about the experience. Her mother's last three books had all stayed on the NY Times Best Seller list for impressive lengths of time.

Briefly, she considered telling Charlotte, but her best friend was not one who could keep a secret. She'd tell Marjorie Lucas, who would just tell her mom. Glancing at her cell phone, she knew she could not call the only person who she could tell. Jane. But, her sister deserved to enjoy her honeymoon. Elizabeth knew if she told Jane about Darcy's offer, she would not be comfortable accepting the man's hospitality. She wondered what his estate in England looked like. It was probably one of those over indulgent buildings with those garish gardens surrounding it on all sides.

Her phone rang. Here it was. The call she'd been dreading since she left the reception hall.

"Hi, mom!" Elizabeth tried to sound pleasant.

"Vince asked me for your number last night." She shut her eyes. They were going to just dive right in without any warm up laps this morning. "I gave it to him of course."

"Of course, you did."

"Don't take that tone with me, young lady." It didn't bother pointing out that she hadn't taken a tone. "Now that Jane is happily married, it is time that I help you out." It hadn't been twenty-four hours yet. It caused physical pain to swallow the groan that rose within her. "Vince is from good stock. I wouldn't mind having his family connected with ours. You know they have that place in the Hamptons. The wedding could be held there."

Elizabeth was sure she'd missed something. "Whose wedding?"

"Yours. Vince and you." Her mother sounded as if she considered Elizabeth daft. "Of course, I don't know why he wanted your number after your behavior last night with him. Really, Lizzy, did you have to look like he was performing a dental experiment on you when he kissed you?"

"As far as the kiss was concerned, I have you know that he tasted like liquor and it was gross."

"I'll be sure to tell Glenda to make sure he brings his toothbrush on your date next weekend."

"Mom, don't you dare!" Elizabeth started, praying her mother did not tell Vince what she had said. Damn, Will Darcy, for putting her in such a tailspin. "Wait. Did you just say I had a date with Vince next weekend?"

"I did." Her mother was smiling. "And, you are welcome. You made quite the impression on Vince. He couldn't stop talking about how beautiful you turned out."

It was times like this that Elizabeth wished she were an orphan. Some kids had all the luck! "Mom," she tried mightily to hang onto her temper. Last night with Darcy and now this. Her handle on reality was starting to get a little slippery. "I can't go on a date with Vince this weekend. I have _other _plans."

"Oh, did that other fella ask you out?"

Her brow furrowed. "What other fella?"

"You know. The tall dark drink of water. The smart one. What's his name? You know, Charles' friend." Elizabeth squirmed. Did she really want her mother on her case about Darcy for the foreseeable future? "I considered him for you at the engagement party, because you two looked stunning sitting together. I could just envision my grandchildren. But, he seemed kind of boring and that wouldn't do for you at all. You need someone who can keep you in line. I'm glad he changed my mind at the reception."

"What did Will do to change your mind at the reception?"

"Well, besides the way he danced with you, you remember what I told you when you were getting ready for Prom. You can tell a lot about the way a man is going to be in bed by the -"

"Yes, mom. I remember."

"If he hadn't danced with you as if he were seducing you right there on the dance floor," her mom paused for breath, "The way he fought for the garter after Vince caught it would have convinced me. He has some mettle! You know you always have be careful of the quiet ones. I knew this boy in college who was a master at - "

"Mom, that's enough. I don't want to know about your college conquests. I haven't even had my breakfast yet."

"Hm." Her mother made that tsking sound.

"Mom, you have to be mistaken. Trust me. Will didn't fight anyone last night for Jane's garter. I would have noticed."

"I know what I saw with my own two eyes. It was all the old biddies talked about for most of the night. And, you know they like to talk! Jeremy caught it all on video if you want to see for yourself." Her mother said something to her sister Lydia, before continuing, "Jeremy said he's done hundreds of weddings and never seen such a scuffle."

It couldn't have been Darcy. Calm, collected Darcy? He wouldn't have reacted that way in public. Not for a million years.

"That man couldn't take his eyes off of you when you danced with Vince. You should have seen his face when Vince kissed you."

Unconsciously, Elizabeth traced her lips with her fingers remembering an entirely different kiss from the previous night. She stopped when she realized what she was doing.

"So, did he ask you out?" Her mom asked.

Elizabeth swallowed waiting for inspiration. If anyone would understand what she was going to do, it would be her mom. Getting paid for sex in the interest of science was something she'd been doing quite successfully for decades. She decided to keep things vague. "I'm actually meeting up with Will today at noon. Please don't make a big thing out of it."

"Well, well. He certainly is moving fast. He probably got jealous watching you with Vince last night. I knew you weren't beautiful for nothing." Her mother sounded pleased. "I'll let Vince know you are busy this weekend, but we'll keep the fact you are going on a date with another man to ourselves for the time being. Can't hurt for you to play a little hard to get. Besides, it is good to have a spare in the wings if you know what I mean." Elizabeth shut her eyes. Unfortunately, she did.

She distracted her mom by asking after the cruise. Before hanging up, she confirmed twice that her parents were leaving in two days time and would be gone for three weeks. Suddenly Alaska didn't seem far enough away.

"I expect a full update when I get back. Bring Will by for dinner. That would give your father and I a chance to get to know him." Her mother suggested. "We'll watch the video of the wedding and reception too. It might give your new man some motivation to secure what he wants."

Elizabeth prayed silently. Darcy did not lack motivation in getting what he wanted. She knew first hand. Again, her finger traced her lower lip replaying their conversation from last night.

*)*

_"No videos, Will. If I agree to do this, I must insist there will be no videos." _It had been her ultimatum. A line in the sand. She didn't have much experience in negotiations but she knew her own limitations.

He shook his head. "Be realistic, Elizabeth. I need the videos to document our progress. I'm worried I'll be too distracted by you to document the data properly." Darcy assured her, "You don't have to worry. I will keep the videos secure at all times. I have more to lose than you do if they get leaked to the public."

Darcy had a point. If their arrangement ever became public, his reputation would be ruined. His company's squeaky clean image would forever be tainted. In this day and age, she'd come out relatively unscathed. I mean one look at him and people would completely understand what had been in it for her.

"No one else will ever see them if you are worried I'd show them to someone else. I keep my private collection in my safe in my lab. No one else has the combination."

How could he still possibly shock her any further? "A private collection? And just how many porn videos have you stared in exactly? Do you have a stage name? Like Free Willy? Darcy Digger? Could I have seen your work?"

He sighed loudly, as if he were the one being put upon. "Besides the videos I will make with you, I only have research videos from private interviews I conducted earlier this year at strip clubs. No porn."

"Private interviews at strip clubs?" She giggled. Maybe William Darcy was not that different from other men. "Do you mean you filmed women giving you lap dances? I hope they were high end establishments. I can't imagine making anything worth filming unless the women were wearing nipple tassels. They make all the rap videos pop." She held up her hands as if she were looking through a camera.

He was not amused, which was odd because she felt herself warming up to the subject. She dearly loved to laugh at the ridiculous. She expected him to ignore her silliness, but he surprised her by answering her in that dry fashion of his. "Yes, I do mean lap dances, Elizabeth. I don't recall any nipple tassels."

She chewed her lip. "Did any of the lovely ladies, I am assuming they were all ladies, make you flog your log?"

"By flogging your log, I imagine you mean did I masturbate?" She nodded. She might enjoy watching something so 70s if he was the main attraction. "No, they didn't." He stopped her from speaking by adding, "They were all women. I am not bisexual or homosexual in any way. I didn't engage in any sexual acts with them unless you count some dry humping."

Silence sprung up between them as her mind raced down dangerous paths wondering what dry humping him would actually be like. He could talk a good game, but was he really as good as he claimed? Was he into really kinky shit? Like tying her up? Was his lab painted red? Did he own a pair of torn up jeans? Okay, she'd just finished the Shades of Grey trilogy. Glancing at his large, well formed hands, a light spanking might be worth exploring her wilder side.

"So, our videos would be the only ones that you have that would contain sexual acts?"

"Elizabeth," He rubbed his hands on his legs then stood as if he had a cramp he needed to work out. "Just talking to you about our arrangement stimulates me to a nearly painful degree. It is getting late. What is your decision?"

**Stimulates to a nearly painful degree?** Nail. Head. That's exactly how she felt! And, here she'd feared they'd never have anything in common. She definitely could relate to his current predicament. She wondered if the time frame for the sex trial was firm or was it negotiable in any way? "Eight weeks before we actually have sex? Have I got that right?"

He looked irritated having to cover a topic they had already discussed. "As I stated already, if the other experiments go well and there are no unforeseen setbacks we'll start having sex in mid-July."

Elizabeth frowned, it sounded terribly far away. Did he have an actual date in mind? She had to have something to put in her planner. She'd have to make plans. Get her hair done. Buy a proper nightgown. Get a mani/pedi. Oh, and a bikini wax. She had to be ready for any close ups Mr. Demille here wanted.

Another idea joined on the heels of her other thoughts. Sex with Darcy would be totally different than sex she'd ever had with any other man. With him, she could be completely uninhibited. She could be as honest and demanding as she wanted. She wouldn't be bogged down with thoughts of what he might think of her afterwards or if he would call her. She'd never have his respect, but knowing she didn't was liberating. She could be bad. She could be nasty. She could try anything she desired with him. And, since he was only interested in her orgasms, it would be in his best interest to comply with her wishes. When had she ever been with a man so focused on giving her pleasure?

A tremor went through her body making her exhale loudly. "After the ninety days, we'll go our separate ways?" She added, reiterating, "I'll never have to see you again?"

"While I can't ensure that we will never run into each other after the conclusion of our experiment, I cannot imagine that we will see each other often. Without the weekly dinners, I don't know when else we would happen upon one another."

Elizabeth knew he was right. She never associated with wealthy scientists who owned their own multi-million dollar businesses before so it didn't seem very likely she would stumble across another one in the future. She suspected they were probably an endangered species of some sort. They probably hung out in odd places she never patronized. Plus, it would be easy to convince Jane she wanted to end the Monday night dinners. In fact, based on the fact she'd been quite verbose in her loathing of the man across from her, her sister wouldn't be too surprised she would want to avoid Darcy in the future.

The best part was that no one would be the wiser about their little affair. They weren't hurting anyone. She would have enough money to put a serious dent in her college loans or she could buy a car in this decade or she could open the restaurant she had dreamed of owning since she was a child. She'd have options she currently didn't have. Making plans for an unexpected windfall was delightful. The opportunity to be out from under the oppressive cloud her unemployment had brought to her life was enticing all its own. Darcy clearly had no expectations of her other than his finished doll. He had no desire to see her after the ninety days were exhausted. She'd never have to be reminded about it. This would be a win, win for each of them!

Darcy looked distinctly uncomfortable as if her contemplation made him nervous. He sat down next to her. It was distracting to have him so close after being given a peek under the hood of his mind. He ruffled his curls and offered, "If it helps, just think of the next three months as an extended one night stand, Elizabeth. I'm sure you've experienced enough of them to give you some frame of reference to fall back on."

It was as if someone had dropped her bodily into the Arctic Ocean. Shards of frozen outrage sliced clear through to her rational part of her brain that had apparently been sleeping since his arrival. What was she doing? How could she actually be considering his offer? She could not agree to the arrangement for so many reasons. Number one being she did not like him. Could not like him! She wouldn't make ninety days. She barely could take him for ninety minutes before wanting to kill him for some rude, thoughtless comment.

Uncomfortable at his close proximity, she stood giving herself breathing room. His eyes followed her. His teeth worried his lip as he waited for her decision.

"While I will admit your offer is tempting, Will, I find I cannot accept it. I thank you, but you'll simply need to find someone else for the job."

"Someone else?" Darcy looked confused by her decision. He blinked rapidly as if his motherboard was frying. "This is all the consideration my offer is going to get?" He rubbed his lips with the back of his hand. "It's not like I'm asking you to marry me or spend the rest of your life with me. It's only ninety days." He glanced about her apartment. "It's not like you have anything more important to do with your time."

**Wow**!

Elizabeth was extremely grateful that the real William Darcy had returned. His charming personality moved her to the door. "Don't you worry about me, Will. I'm sure I'll find a way to occupy myself."

Darcy did not follow her. Instead, he tapped his foot impatiently against the ground. It sounded strangely like the sound her old desktop computer made when it was booting up. The tapping stopped as suddenly as it had begun. "A hundred thousand dollars."

"My answer is still no. No amount of money is going to change my mind." As funny as this would all seem later to her, Elizabeth felt a twinge of guilt. His doll was pretty important to him. No matter how he had just insulted her, she knew that for him this was a serious matter. "You don't have to worry about me saying anything to anyone. I'll take this discussion to my grave. Really, even if I told anyone about this, it is not like anyone would believe me anyway." He still had not risen to leave. Elizabeth resorted to humor to cover her growing nervousness. "I really do hope you have success in your search for an accommodating vagina."

Finally, there was an identifiable emotion on his face. He stood and began walking toward her gracefully, moving like a panther making her feel like cornered prey.

"Are you going to actually stand there and make sport of me, Elizabeth?" His eyes blazed. His face had hardened. He was mad. There was no way she could misinterpret it. "I could have kept my agenda secret. I could have simply went about seducing you to get what I wanted while keeping you entirely in the dark. But, such deceit is beneath me. I felt it unethical. A participant in an experiment should know the parameters. I didn't want you developing any romantic notions about us, forming any attachment to me. I was thinking of you when I offered you money in exchange for your time."

"You were thinking of me?" She snickered in astonishment. Her fight or flight instinct took over. She wasn't going to leave. This was her home. "You wanted to keep me from forming romantic notions about you? I have news for you. You didn't have to try so hard. I hadn't know you but a few hours before I knew you'd be the last man on earth I'd ever want to form an attachment." Not caring that the storm outside was becoming frightful, she opened her front door. Immediately, she was blasted with stinging rain. She waved between them. "This is a hopeless endeavor. Please leave. You have to see that we're incompatible."

Darcy moved to the door, moving slowly with his implacability. He stopped. Then, without any warning whatsoever, he pounced, pulling her towards him. One of his hands held her waist prisoner while his other roughly tugged on her hair forcing her head backwards. She'd opened her mouth to object when he assaulted her mouth roughly with his own. Nothing about his kiss was gentle or passive or apologetic. It was resentful and desperate and dangerous. Desire flared in her, everywhere at once. Even as her body grew limp, her response to him was equally combustible, passionate as his. Rain soaked them, but still he raged on against her until she felt dizzy.

Wrenching his mouth from hers, he looked startled and wild. His breathing erratic. His voice raw. "Does that feel like we are incompatible, Elizabeth?"

Instinctively, she shook her head. Concentrating on staying upright, she was not capable of forming thoughts or words.

Raindrops dripped from his hair, down his cheek before falling into her upturned face. He tugged sharply on her hair, his mouth lingered tantalizingly close to hers. He demanded, "Reconsider, Elizabeth."

God, he was sexy when he was angry with her! Her panties were soaked and clearly not from the rain. If one kiss could reduce her to this, what would one night with him be like? Damn all the mounting reasons she should say no, she had to know. As much as she disliked him, as much as he pissed her off, she could not deny the awakening urges his touch created. None of her reasons for saying no added together equaled the want she had for him to take her into his bed. If she had to suffer through two months of his rudeness to get what she ultimately wanted, she was resolved to do whatever it took.

"Yes." Thunder loudly clapped shaking the foundation under her feet. It was as if a gavel had dropped at her agreement. "Yes, I'll participate in the experiment."

In her state, she'd been quite selfish in her consideration. She never spared a thought to how her agreement would affect him. The anger cooled in his eyes, but they no longer seemed as flat as they had in the past. It was as if she could see through his mask finally. There was a tenderness about him. His lashes fluttered, his fingers contracted at the nape of her neck, pressing her forward into him.

He moaned, "Thank God."

It was the only warning she had he was going to kiss her again. Stiffening, she expected another assault, but this time his lips sought to soothe the damage caused by his first. His tongue no longer punished hers, but instead stroked hers in a low, slow sinful caress. After their second kiss ended, Darcy suckled her lower lip before turning his attention to her neck. His hot mouth pressed along the column of her neck until he found her ear. Playfully, he nipped her earlobe causing contractions deep within her.

"Tomorrow. You'll move in with me tomorrow." He pulled back and looked down at her. "Noon. Don't keep me waiting, Elizabeth."

"I won't." She barely recognized her own voice.

*(*

Elizabeth glanced at the clock. It was nearly ten o'clock. She needed to get motivated and pack if she was going to make her noon deadline. She wondered what the precise requirements would be for a vagina muse? Did she wonder around his penthouse apartment in her lingerie all day? Instead, she decided it would probably be best to pack what she would for a vacation. She threw in a bathing suit, regular pajamas, plenty of fresh undies and socks to last her a few weeks. When she was done, trying hard not to rethink her decision, she carried her suitcases to her car.

At Darcy's upscale apartment building deep in the heart of downtown, a doorman greeted her warmly and referred her to the concierge. She had been expected. While the two men stared at her with open curiosity, Darcy joined her in the lobby. He was dressed in a pair of jeans that hugged his yummy derriere and a NYU sweatshirt. As Darcy helped her with the heavier suitcases, she smiled politely to both men and followed him into the elevator that required a special code to access his unit. Other than asking her if she had any problems finding his place, he did not speak more.

When Elizabeth entered the penthouse apartment, Darcy had produced a non-disclosure contract that was seven pages long, double sided and single space. She read it carefully. There was a clause stipulating she would never speak of their arrangement (who would ever believe her) and humorously enough that she would not divulge any secrets she learned about his patented products (as if she would even know what the patented products were). There was also a paragraph that during the course of the experiment she was not permitted to fornicate with any other man. If she wanted, it continued, she could chose another woman as long as he was amenable. She snorted and she let him know with no uncertainty that would not be happening. If he fantasized about two girls at one time then he would have to find someone else. Quickly, he carefully crossed out the paragraph and they both initialed the form.

There was mention of her reimbursement. She would get $30,000 in 30 days, another $30,000 payment in 60 days and the final payment of $40,000 at the conclusion of the experiment. A little more than a 1,000 a day. Not a bad rate at all!

Missing from the document was his promise that none of the experiments or testing would hurt her. He added it with the same decisiveness he had removed the clause about other partners. When she objected again to the video equipment, he shut his eyes and sighed heavily. He struck the paragraphs that dealt with that aspect of the scientific experiment and they initialed again. Finally, the agreement was to her satisfaction. They both signed and dated.

After giving her a copy of the contract to her, Darcy passed her a key card that provided her access to the penthouse and the luxury floor. It was terribly awkward for a moment before he told her he needed to return to his lab. In fact from the way he was behaving, Elizabeth would bet he was slightly annoyed at the distraction her arrival had caused. Sliding on a white lab coat, it was clear he had been working. Looking much like she imagined a real life Flint Lockwood would, his coat bore his name and Darcy Electronics on the front pocket. Hair was askew and there was a pen behind his ear. He looked unbelievably adorable.

Resisting the urge to smooth his hair, she put her copy of the contract in her purse. "Can I see it?"

"It? Xy is not an it." He'd answered in a quick, prickly voice. She thought he was offended, but it was so hard to tell. He was a duck on a flat lake. Serene picture of calmness, but deep down he was quickly churning. "No, Elizabeth, I don't think it is the best time to show you her presently. When she is further along, I will introduce you to her. Let me take your bags to your room so you can get settled."

His penthouse was fabulous, luxurious and strangely lifeless. Her guest room was lavish. The color pallet lacked creativity - all beiges and browns - but she was glad to see that she had a television and access to WiFi in her room. She unpacked her belongings, surfed the television but nothing interested her.

After taking a long, hot shower and slipping into some comfy sweats (his central air conditioner clearly functioned), Elizabeth went into the kitchen to see what she had to work with for their dinner. The cupboards were full of unhealthy canned items with high sodium content, the refrigerator was full of questionable items - some clearly looked and smelled as if they were some sort of science project all their own.

"This looks like the refrigerator of a man in college. Not a grown ass man." She grumbled to herself.

Dragging the garbage can over to the appliance, she began dumping the contents from Chinese take-out containers and old pizza boxes that showed signs of growing mold. Sniffing the milk and checking the expiration date on his eggs, they joined the pile. Done with that, she drug the bag to the marked disposal and sent the trash down the chute.

Returning to the kitchen, she scrubbed the refrigerator inside and out, cleaned the counter spaced and then made the mistake of opening the microwave. Gross! Didn't he have a maid? If he did, Elizabeth would strongly suggest she be fired. If he didn't, Elizabeth did not mind keeping the kitchen clean. It would be her pleasure. The galley style kitchen was outfitted with a stove that would make most chefs weep. As dirty as the microwave had been, she was surprise to find it was pristine.

Opening the cupboards, she began accessing what sort of cookware she had at her disposal. Disappointed to find only a few small skillets and pots and nothing that resembled a spatula or cooking utensils she pulled out a piece of paper and began making a list of items she would need to survive the upcoming months. A trip back to her apartment was going to be in order. She started another list for essential foodstuffs they would need. His diet definitely needed to be taken into hand. How he managed to look as fit and healthy as he did was amazing considering the discovery in his pantry.

A door opened and when she heard the unmistakable sound of heels on the marble entry way into the penthouse, Elizabeth went to investigate. A young well dressed blonde haired woman stopped dead in her tracks seeing her emerge from the kitchen. "Who are you?" The blonde questioned, clutching at her throat. "What are you doing in my brother's apartment?"

_Darcy had a sister?_

"I'm Lizzy . . .I'm - " Gee, they never actually covered what her position was actually called. Was she an assistant sexologist? A paid companion? Whatever would she put on her tax forms next year? She settled on, "I'm a friend of Will's." She hoped that was sufficient enough of an explanation.

"Lizzy? Not the Lizzy Bennet?" Elizabeth nodded, wondering how Will's sister could possibly know of her existence. Surely, he hadn't told her about the real reason for her presence here. For one awkward moment, Elizabeth thought he just might have. Then, the beautiful girl smiled. "I'm Georgiana, but you can call me Georgie. Everyone does. Is my brother here with you?"

"Yes, he's puttering around in his lab." Elizabeth pointed to the door that he had gone through hours earlier. "You should go in. I'm sure he'd be thrilled to see you."

"Oh, no. You'll learn to never interrupt Will when he is in his lab. He gets so grouchy when you do. You'll understand when he gets fixated on a project to leave him be. And, when a project is not going well - look out!" Georgie laughed lightly, " I just got back in town and thought we could go out for lunch together, but I guess I'll come back another day. I didn't mean to intrude on the two of you."

Elizabeth waved a hand in the air. "Oh, please, you're not intruding at all. I'm not certainly doing anything special; just trying to get Will's kitchen in order."

Georgie glanced at the progress she'd made then looked at Elizabeth's list. Her smile turned cheerier. "I've been worried my brother was destined to die a bachelor."

"More than likely, he is going to die from some poisonous takeout that was well past expiration."

Georgie laughed. "Well, I'm glad you are here finally to sort him out."

"Oh, I'm think you have the wrong idea about why. . . I'm not here for . . ." She stopped suddenly. If she told his sister that they were not romantically involved, how would she explain her presence in his penthouse? It was probably safer letting Darcy deal with what they tell his sister.

Just then, Darcy emerged from his lab. He was typing something on a handheld devise as he walked distracted, "Elizabeth, I think we should go out or we can order something in if you are hungry. I haven't had a chance to shop in awhile and - " He dead in his tracks seeing his sister. There was no outward expression at seeing her. His voiced sounded as expressionless as normal. "Georgianna, you're home."

"You were right about Dillon!" Georgie just shook her head. "I found out that he has another girlfriend in Australia. Can you believe it? I was going to go to Pemberley but then I remembered that the newlyweds were there. I thought I'd surprise you, but it looks like you win in the surprise department."

"Well, I am glad you are home. I've missed you very much." Elizabeth did not think he was glad, but Georgiana raced to him hugging him tightly. The younger sibling turned again to include her. "I was just getting to know Lizzy here."

"Yes, Elizabeth - " Darcy slipped his devise in his breast pocket of his lab coat, glancing back and forth between the women as if he were searching for a way to explain her presence. Then, he shrugged. "Elizabeth has agreed to move in with me."

Squealing loudly, Georgie hugged her brother again. Darcy shot her a warning look over her shoulder. What was she going to say? _Hey, Georgianna, your freaky brother has hired me to help him make his sex doll he has in the laboratory? Mwahaahahah!_ From what she had seen from his sister's reaction, somehow she didn't think the younger woman would understand it was all for scientific advancement.

The pretty woman turned to her beaming. "When he talked about you earlier this year, I just had a feeling you'd be the one for him."

"Did you?" Elizabeth she questioned, amused by the blush that tinged Darcy's cheeks.

In the end, the three of them had ended up eating a late lunch at Georgie's favorite restaurant nearby. Elizabeth weathered his sister's questions as best as she could and listened with amusement as Georgie told her stories of Darcy's childhood. It was clear the siblings were close. While waiting on their entrees, she was surprised to learn that they both of their parents had died a few months apart when he was eighteen and she was just twelve. He had raised her by himself taking on the role of brother, mother and father at such a young age. By the time he was twenty-two, he had taken his inheritance and turned it into the company he now helmed.

It was hard for Elizabeth not to be impressed by him. She reached across to him, and after a fraction of hesitation, he took her hand in his, weaving their fingers together.

Georgie leaned her cheek on her palm, probing, "I don't think Will ever told me how you two met."

Darcy answered for them. "Charles and Jane set us up on a blind date. I'll never be able to do enough to repay them for their kind service."

That's right, Elizabeth remembered. The first Monday dinner had actually been a blind date. She'd forgotten. She had been excided at the prospect of meeting him - the brilliant head of Darcy Electronics who was Charles' best friend. She'd taken pains with her appearance. Splurging, she had her hair professionally styled, gotten a manicure and bought a daring new dress that made her feel sophisticated. She'd even baked her great-grandmother's special German chocolate Bundt cake for the occasion. She was in the kitchen slicing them all pieces of the decadent desert when she had overheard the comment about her being only tolerable.

Suddenly, Elizabeth wanted a drink. She pulled her hand from his reliving the insult still from all those months ago. From a passing waiter, she requested a glass of wine.

Casting her a concerned expression, Darcy continued the story telling, embellishing quite a bit of their last several months together. He borrowed heavily from their weekly dinners. His recall of the trivial comments she'd made at the table was incredible. He even sounded convincing as he explained to Georgie how he'd become enamored with her more and more with each weekly meeting. Watching the two siblings together, it was clear that Darcy was fond of his little sister and that her opinion mattered a great deal to him. Why else would he go to the trouble of making it seem like they had been seeing each other for months so that moving in with one another seemed like the natural next step in their relationship? The expression of joy on the young girl's face made Elizabeth guilty. She ordered another glass of wine.

They walked Georgie back to her car and she left after getting Elizabeth to agree to a meeting later in the week for lunch. Reaching the penthouse, Darcy informed her briskly he had stuff in the lab that he needed to tend. Elizabeth indicated that she needed to round up some essentials for the kitchen and there were some groceries she needed if they were going to survive the foreseeable future. He was gone so quickly she was not sure if it even registered she was headed out.

*)*

Unlocking the door to her apartment, she was stopped by her neighbor.

"Elizabeth?" Mrs. Morgan was an elderly spinster woman who liked to talk more than she had patience for today. "You had a delivery while you were out."

"Did I?"

"Yes, I signed for them. I hope you don't mind."

The container was large and bulky. She'd take it back to Darcy's with her other belongings. She adored fresh flowers. They always made her hopeful. Opening the card, it read, **"You are enchanting. Could you change your weekend plans? V."**

Calling Vince from the car, she thanked him for the flowers and let him know that she had firm plans that could not be broken for the weekend. He was a witty man and his conversation kept her company as she drifted down the aisles at Darcy's local grocery store. Planning their dinners for the rest of the week and trying to find some healthy options he might like for his lunch was daunting. She didn't know much about what Darcy liked to eat other than their limited exposure during their Monday night dinners. He wasn't too picky. Not once had he refused to eat anything she and Jane had prepared. But, she did not know his preferences. If they had been dating, a small voice in the back of her mind, she would know these intimate details about him.

After making her purchases and finding her way back to the penthouse, she lugged the bag of groceries, her flowers and the essentials from her apartment to the elevator. Locating a vase in the kitchen, she filled it with water. She opened the box containing her flowers and paused at the color. Long stem, lilac roses were unique. And, they happened to be her absolute favorite. Vince had to have worked hard to find them. Smiling, she added the plant food to the vase and trimmed the stems to make them uniform. She centered them on the lonely bare kitchen table happy with the overall effect.

As she put the perishables away, she thought how sad the kitchen looked. Even though it held the equipment she would want in her own restaurant, the design was ultramodern and cold. Not a speck of personality in the entire room. She decided tomorrow she would buy something to bring some pizzazz to the room. She put the two bottles of wine she purchased in the chilled wine rack feeling much better now that the appliance was being put to use and placed her assorted apples, oranges and bananas in a large bowl she found in the cupboard.

When she turned, Darcy was watching her from the doorway. He pointed to the flowers. "Who did you get those from?"

"Vince. You remember the guy from the wedding - "

"Oh, garter guy." He frowned. "Did you tell him you were otherwise engaged when you called him to thank him for the flowers?"

She did not meet Darcy's gaze. She felt guilty for enjoying her conversation with the other man.

He crossed his arms. "You were gone a long time."

"Worried about me were you?" She teased, as she put the bags from her purchases in the recycling container.

"No, of course not. I would like to remind you that you aren't permitted to have sexual relations with another man while we are in our contract. I won't share you, Elizabeth."

"I don't need a reminder, Will." Elizabeth cleaned up the trimmings from the flowers. "I didn't see Vince while I was out if that is what you are concerned about."

"I wasn't. You weren't gone **that **long." Darcy pulled on his lab coat sleeve. "It was simply that I needed you to make a comparison and you weren't here for me to do so. I hope having to look for you when I need you does not become a habit."

Elizabeth squelched the anger that flared at the tone of his voice. She had to go at least 30 days before she got any money. She smiled sweetly at him. "What can I do for you, Will?"

"Hold still." Darcy reached behind her and gently pulled her ponytail free. He massaged her scalp before filling his hands with her hair. His touch felt explorative and gentle. She could not help but remember when he had pulled hard at her locks right before their explosive kiss. She wondered if he ever thought about them kissing. If the memory of it had kept him up all night as it had her? Concentrating, he leaned forward and sniffed. He rubbed a curl between two fingers. All of his senses were fully engaged. After a moment he withdrew his hands from her hair and said in a piqued tone, "It's all wrong."

"I beg your pardon?" Elizabeth stiffened. She couldn't have already disappointed him, right? "Just what about my hair is wrong?"

"I knew it was after sitting next to you at the restaurant." He finally turned to her as if her question had finally registered. "The only thing wrong is that your hair feels like silk when I put my hands in it. And, it smells. . . "he shut his eyes. "Your hair smells like honeysuckles and reminds me of rain. When I put my hand in Xy's hair, it feels like a wig and smells plastic."

Elizabeth smiled faintly as his compliment rang in her ears. It made her feel charitable towards him. He turned to leave presumably for his lab, when she asked, "Will, I was thinking about what to make for dinner tomorrow. What is your favorite dish?"

"I don't care. Make whatever you like." He was grumpy. Things must not be going well. He nodded toward his appliances. "Is the stove alright? They told me that it was what a chef would want."

"It's perfect." Elizabeth turned to the stove before glancing back at him. When had he had a chance to buy it? It was here when she arrived today.

"Good." He nodded, then added, "You are welcome to take it with you when our time is up. Consider it a bonus of sorts." He scratched the back of his neck before checking his watch. "I have some stuff to do. I'm -"

"Going back to your lab." Elizabeth finished good naturedly.

"Yes." He nodded, "I usually work in my lab until well after midnight."

"Xy's a labor of love, then?"

A ripple of emotion crossed his face. "Don't wait up for me. You look tired. You need some rest."

Darcy was true to his word. He did not resurface for the rest of the evening. Alone, she finished a bottle of wine, engaged in a flirtatious stream of texts with Vince, played words with friends with Charlotte and browsed the real estate sites online. There had to be a perfect piece of property for her out there somewhere. After she paid off her student loans and credit cards, she would still have more than half of the money Darcy gave her left to launch her first restaurant. She had to be frugal and plan but she knew she could get a good start on her dream. She'd use the obvious ample free time she'd have at her disposal to start on a business model. This might just very well be the best opportunity of her life!

As tired as Elizabeth was, though, she could not sleep until she heard Darcy return from his lab. Under her door, she saw his shadow pause. Expectations swirled within her. Would he join her? Did she want him to? Would he tell her that he didn't want to wait until July for sex? Would he kiss her again? No to one and all, evidentially, because his shadow after pausing, moved on. Dimly, she heard his door to his bedroom open. Before she succumbed to sleep, she heard his shower going.


	5. Chapter 5

_First off, thanks so much for the reviews! They keep me motivated - so please keep them coming! _

_Haruko Higurashi- Yes, Lizzy is very aware of her sexual wants and needs. It's been fun to write her without the constraints of a period piece. _

_Hana Green - I wrote the very scene you are expecting. It's coming (PUN intended) very soon. I'll warn you the ending is not what most of you are expecting. _

_Krys21- Even though he is not present in this chapter, Vince will be back. I mean, he can't very well give up on Elizabeth just yet, right? Not with both of their mothers pushing him forward._

_Tremu - I almost included Darcy's POV in this chapter but it was way too long. The next chapter is mostly from his POV. And, you are right, his are much tamer to write. _

_IrishJessy - She is going to be super freaked out when she finds out about Xy._

_ - if you have a blurb suggestion, I am all ears. I found it difficult to describe my own story. I suck at the back of the book descriptions. _

_I am still looking for an editor, if anyone is interested!_

**The Doll Chapter 5: Day 6 May 23, 2014**

After managing to dodge her for several days, Elizabeth simply ran out of justifiable reasons to put off Georgiana's standing invitation to go to lunch. She had real reservations about meeting alone with his sister. No good could come from it. She would not be comfortable the entire meal knowing she would have to guard her words carefully every single second. One slip up. That's all it would take to reveal that everything was not as it should be between her and Darcy. Avoiding the woman had seemed the only logical way to ensure their secret would remained safe.

But, damn, persistence must be bred deep in the Darcy DNA. The girl called each and every day.

Needing to clear her head, Elizabeth walked the two blocks from her Zumba workout to the small restaurant that she had patronized with the Darcy siblings the previous week. The now familiar blonde was sitting in a booth by the front window as if there was any chance Elizabeth would not see her, nursing a coffee and doodling in a leather bound book. They greeted each other with the awkwardness of the newly acquainted.

Lunch was ordered and delivered as the two women exchanged polite pleasantries.

"So, how is my brother doing?"

Elizabeth sipped her ice tea before setting it carefully on the table. It was an odd question because she knew the siblings talked frequently. In fact, she would never have guessed it but Darcy was a very attentive brother. The siblings talked every day, sometimes several times a day. He never blew his younger sister off as she would have been tempted to if it were one of her own younger silly sisters calling.

Glancing at Georgie, she realized the girl was just waiting for her to respond to her question. Patience must have developed living with her brother all those formative years. "He seems fine. A little grumpy, sometimes, but then you know your brother."

"Is his project not going well?" You could say that, Elizabeth thought. He had offered only a few clues to how Xy progressing, and they were usually indecent epitaphs that did not seem promising at all. She shrugged diplomatically. His comparison tests were starting to grate on her. She didn't know how many more compliments about her hair, her mouth, or her skin she was going to be able to take. He didn't know it, but Darcy was dangerously close to getting shackled to his bed so she could convince him with her mouth to move along with her timeline. "You have to be patient with him, Lizzy. I know he can be a bear when he is frustrated, but hang in there. It will be worth it."

Elizabeth wondered if Georgie had any suggestions for dealing with her own frustration? Prince Charming and ice showers were barely cutting it anymore. Another subject she could not bring up during this meeting. What subject would be safe? Her eyes lit upon the leather bound book forgotten at her arrival.

"Did I see you drawing when I came in?" The shy girl nodded. "Do you mind?"

She handed over the book reluctantly. Her nose scrunched. "I'm not very good."

Elizabeth did not agree. Georgie clearly had an artistic eye. There were various drawings of people she did not recognize. Presumably her friends and relatives. There was one of Darcy which stopped her completely. He was sitting on a bench in a wooded setting, his face turned into the wind, hair askew. What caught Elizabeth's attention was his smile. And his dimples. She felt her heart hammer. She was a sucker for dimples.

"I should have known you'd like the one of my brother the best. I drew it at Pemberley when we were last there. If you want, I can have it framed for you."

"Would you?" She could sit it on her nightstand. Maybe the extra visualization would be helpful? Eye on the prize and all. She cleared her throat strangely aware of how warm she had gotten, and handed back the book to his sister. "You have considerable talent, young lady."

Embolden by Elizabeth's compliment, Georgie handed her a second book from her bag. "My favorite thing is designing clothing." She was determined to be flattering, but found that she could honestly critique the drawings in a positive way. "I'm still small potatoes, but if all goes well, GD Designs will have our first entry in the fashion shows in Paris next year."

Elizabeth was impressed by the ambition. "That's great." She wondered if Darcy thought such things were frivolous? "What does your brother think about your work?"

"He plays along like he understands it, but he doesn't. Not any more than I would understand his electrical mumbo jumbo." Georgie laughed. "But, Will, wants me happy. He has always encouraged me to pursue my dreams, take calculated risks. Who do you think gave me my first business loan when I was nineteen when no bank would touch me?" She twirled the straw in her drink. "He didn't have to give me the money. You know. I wasn't left any inheritance by my folks. They left it all to him with no specific instructions that he had to share anything with me, but my brother is not selfish in the slightest. In fact, he is overly generous. To a fault. But, then, you probably already know all about that. He does so much for so many he deserves someone like you who will look after him."

Elizabeth was trying to take care of him. Albeit in small ways. Just that morning, she had met him in the kitchen with his breakfast not of cold pizza and soda pop, but cold oatmeal and fresh fruit. After only a brief hesitation, he dug into the healthy breakfast with enthusiasm. She informed him that she made him a lunch too.

"You don't have to make me breakfast, lunch and dinner. I don't want you to have to work when you are here. I want you to enjoy yourself. I can take care of myself."

"I like to cook so it is no chore. Besides, I've seen what you eat when I don't. If left to your own devices, you'll fill your refrigerator with take out every chance you get. You can't push yourself as hard as you do and eat garbage all day. It's a wonder you don't keel over in exhaustion." Elizabeth was not done, "Here are your vitamins. You forgot them again. Your lunch was no problem. I just whipped up some chicken salad you like."

"Chicken salad?" He eyed the box with a little more interest. "The one with the crunchy things and the grapes?"

She smiled. "Yes, with the grapes. Those crunchy things are shaved almonds. I've put in some raspberries, some carrot sticks and a few bottles of water. You have to stay hydrated. Even working indoors. Just think of it this way, if I prepare you lunch every day it will actually save you the time of organizing lunch later."

His brow furrowed, then he nodded. "I suppose you are right. Thank you, Elizabeth, this will be more efficient."

Darcy opened his morning paper and Elizabeth watched amused as he turned predictably to the science/tech section of the paper. Once done, she knew he'd backtrack to the business and then the headline news. She plucked the sports and entertainment sections for herself to read but something nagged at her. Glancing across at him, she realized he was squinting. He had done the same thing yesterday.

"When was the last time you had your eyes checked?"

He lifted his gaze to her. "I don't know. Why?"

"I think I should make you an appointment. I think you might need glasses." He appeared to want to argue, but she held up a staying hand. "Don't worry. I'll make the arrangements with Mrs. Reynolds." She knew if she got his capable assistant on board there would be no way he'd miss the appointment. The woman was fiercely loyal and loved the man across from her like the son she never had. It spoke well of him that everyone she met at Darcy Electronics had seemed to either be in awe of the man or half in love with him.

Elizabeth sipped her coffee and let him enjoy his paper in peace, reflecting how she liked this little camaraderie they had developed. It hadn't been too bad of a first week all things considered.

When Darcy finished his breakfast, she insisted he leave his plates to her care while he dressed for work. Her timing was perfect as they met at the door when he made to leave. He was busy searching his pockets. She dangled his set of keys in front of him. He'd left them in the living room by the fern. Gratefully, he took them from her. She gave him his cell phone next. Even though he had a fancy charging system on the table to the left of the entry way, his phone never made it there. He had an annoying habit of leaving it all sorts of impractical places. This morning she had found it in the microwave. In their one week together, she'd had to deliver it twice to him at Darcy Electronics. Mrs. Reynolds had given her a curious look on her first visit, but by her second visit, the two were fast friends. In fact, the two women had taken to talking every day when Darcy left the office. Mrs. Reynolds agreed with her that it was important that Darcy's dinner be waiting when he arrived home.

Lastly, Elizabeth handed him his lunchbox and a thermos of coffee for the office. She smoothed her hands over his suit coat, straightened his tie and then kissed him squarely on the cheek. Smiling, she teased, "Have a great day at the office, honey!"

"I will." Instead of leaving, though, he asked stiffly. "What are your plans for today?"

"I'm going to check out the Zumba class in the village. Then, I'm meeting your sister for lunch. The dry cleaners called and I'm going by to pick up whatever you left there. It was kind of hard to understand what they were saying. You don't actually have clothes that have been sitting there for six months?" He shrugged. He had no idea. He was impossible. "After that, I'm going to the farmer's market to see if I can find some fresh mangos. I've been dying to try a new recipe I saw online for salmon with mango sauce for dinner tonight."

"Salmon with mango sauce?" An eyebrow quirked upward. He seemed reluctant.

"Trust me." She swayed closer to him. "You'll love it. Mango is really sweet."

In the short time they were together, Elizabeth had discovered that Darcy had a massive sweet tooth. She'd never had cookies disappear so fast even when she lived at home with her parents and four sisters.

"I look forward to it then." Darcy juggled his belongings and opened his wallet, "I meant to give this to you yesterday, but I forgot. It's for your purchases. Groceries, things you want for the apartment, whatever you need to buy during your time with me. All your expenses should be put on this card."

"It" was a black American Express with her name printed in raised silver letters. She immediately went to return it. "I don't need that, Will."

He returned his wallet to his pocket. For him, the argument was over. The decision was made. "I insist you take it, Elizabeth. You've spent a lot of your money already on groceries and such since you've been here. That was not part of our agreement. I never expected you to buy anything you needed to make your stay with me comfortable."

"I don't want it. Really!" She held out the card to him. "Aren't you afraid I'll go on a massive shopping spree?"

"No, I'm not." His expression was flat, her teasing had missed its target. "But, if you like, you can. I doubt I'll even notice. I have plenty of money, Elizabeth. More than I will spend in a hundred of lifetimes. While you are living with me, I feel it is my duty to provide financially for you." Elizabeth held the card by its corners with her pointer fingers and thumbs. She was embarrassed. She'd been raised to be self-sufficient, to earn her own way. It was as if he had realized she was upset, because his voice lowered. There was no emotion on his face. She checked but his voice had softened. That was something, right? "Look, I don't want you spending your savings buying stuff for here. I don't want the money you earn from me being used for things that I should be giving you. It was an oversight on my part, Elizabeth. Not a fault of yours." He looked at his watch. "I have to go. I have a conference call this afternoon so I will be a little later than usual."

Georgie was giving her a strange smile when she mentally returned to the restaurant. "I'm sorry, what did you ask me?"

"What is it that you do, Lizzy?"

Elizabeth shrugged. "I'm a chef, but I'm currently in between positions right now." The state of affairs of her own professional career was something she would be able to spend her free time to work through. "I finished culinary school last fall but it's a tough market to break into. One day, though, I hope to open my own restaurant."

"When you are ready to pick out a property, you should talk to Richard. He is a real estate broker in Jersey, but he has a lot of friends who are agents here in town. I'm sure he could point you in the right direction. He's got a great head for such things. In fact, he gave me some great pointers with my business prospectus."

"Who's Richard?"

Georgie's surprise was evident as she lowered her coffee cup. "Will hasn't mentioned Richard to you?"

"I don't think so." It wasn't as if she had many conversations with Darcy since moving in. They had made some progress, but they had not broken out the photo albums. Elizabeth didn't think it would be wise to share with Georgie that she'd only been aware of _her _existence for a few days.

"That's incredible." She recognized the Darcy frown on the young girl's face. "Richard is our cousin, but he is like a brother to Will. They are super close. You'd think he would have at least mentioned him to you."

Was super close even possible with Darcy? Elizabeth wondered. Hoped.

Georgie shook her head, smiling her way out of her confusion. "Anyway, it doesn't matter. You'll meet him at the benefit next week. You're coming with Will, right?" At her blank look, the younger woman continued, "My uncle Paul is raising money for his re-election campaign."

"Re-election campaign?"

Georgie sounded a little annoyed. "I just can't believe Will hasn't mentioned our family or an event as important as the benefit for our uncle."

"Will's been busy with his new project." Elizabeth heard herself leap to his defense. She couldn't tell his sister about _all _of his projects, but there was one she could. "He has an entrance in the DARPA competition this year."

Georgie's eyebrows rose.

"It's a competition they hold in Japan every year. Only the world's best and brightest in the engineering community gets selected. The entries are suppose to be for the improvement of mankind." Elizabeth tried to remember interesting facts from the internet searches she had done just the day before. "This year the focus is on the role of electronics and robotics to ensure rapid food distribution in cases of massive catastrophe. Darcy Electronics was only one of fifteen companies selected from all around the world. His is the only American firm."

"Wow, I never knew." Georgie was clearly in awe. Elizabeth suspected it was state she found herself in often. "He never talks about his work. My brother never brags about his accomplishments."

Elizabeth chewed her lip. Yeah, she could see that. Even when she had brought up the competition at Jane's during their last dinner together, he had only mentioned one of his divisions was working on something. She'd discovered the prestige of being selected and the rest of her information during her recent internet search.

Georgie shifted in her seat. "Will you do something for me? A favor of sorts?"

"Until I know what you are asking of me, I can't promise one way or another."

"So smart! When Will mentioned you a few months ago, I knew you had to be. I prayed you'd be someone special for him." Georgie smiled, "He's happy, Lizzy. Opening up to another person. You don't understand, or maybe you do. But, it's a big deal for him. It's hard for him to have a normal relationship. He's never _lived _with any of his other girlfriends. I mean he held your hand at lunch." Elizabeth felt uncomfortable when she saw genuine tears forming in her companion's eyes. "Promise me you'll do your very best not to hurt him. He's the best brother in the entire world. I couldn't stand it if you broke his heart. It's clear that he is very much in love with you."

Elizabeth could barely contain the hysterical giggle that threatened to bubble forth. Dear Lord! Even though his sister could not be more wrong, she could not lie that Georgie's concern was touching. "I promise you that I will do my very best not to ever hurt him."

Clear blue eyes measured her before the girl sagged in relief. "I believe you, Lizzy. I think you love him too." There was a few minutes of silence between the woman as both pondered their own thoughts. "If it not too much to ask, I would like us to spend time together. You and me. Get to know one another. Become friends."

Elizabeth felt a heaviness settle over her. This was a complication she could do without. It would be so easy to just rebuff the girl, but the hopeful expression she wore tugged at her heart. "I'd like that Georgie. I'd like it a lot."

Georgie wiped at her eyes, which seemed like an overreaction to Elizabeth. Maybe the sister received more than her share of emotions while Darcy received none? Her new friend pulled out a phone and consulted a calendar. "So, the benefit is in one week from tomorrow. My uncle Paul is running for re-election for his Senate seat for the great state of New Jersey. Will has a speech that has already been written for him. I'll have it sent to him. Make sure he practices it at least once. Stress to him to smile at the beginning of each paragraph. There will be photographers and yes, he will have to have his photo taken. He hates that more than any of the rest of it."

"Senator? Do you mean Senator Paul Pool?"

"Oh, so you do know of him. I thought you had to have heard about him."

No, no, no, no. Senator Pool was the poster child for restraint, one of those far right crazies who were against same sex marriage, legalizing marijuana and the right of the poor to live and breathe in America. In her house, he was that "Republican a-hole who was woefully out of touch with the American public's needs and wants." This was a direct quote of her democratic loving father. Her mother used far more expletives when discussing him. In fact, both would paddle back from Alaska with their tongues if they knew their oldest eligible daughter was going to be in the same room with him. Supporting him.

Right now, though, she had more immediate concerns than her parent's reactions to Darcy's relatives.

_What was she going to wear?_

Elizabeth's mind raced through her limited selection of clothes. Maybe she was wrong about the event? "I'm assuming this is not some poolside party type of thing. You know cutoff jeans and a tank top? BYOB."

Georgiana giggled. "Certainly not. Black tie. Formal wear. Which is why I can't believe Will didn't tell you. Then, again, he is a man."

They both nodded.

Elizabeth rubbed her temples. The idea of shopping for a dress when both her mother and Jane, the two women she trusted most, were out of town was not a prospect she enjoyed. Especially for such an important event. "Maybe Will does not plan on attending?"

"No way could he miss it. My Aunt Catherine, uncle Pool's sister, would die, come back and then haunt Will for the rest of his days."

"Clearly, your brother and I need to work on our communication skills. Maybe he could go without me?"

"Not a chance. Everyone can't wait to meet you." There was no way Darcy had told his family about her. Georgie must have spread the word among the relatives.

**Great! Just great!** "I guess I'm going to need to get a dress."

Her companion's face split into a grin. "I can help with that! I think one of the pieces in my most recent collection would suit you just fine. If not, I have a lot of friends in the industry. We're going to find you something very special. I'll even take care of the alterations myself. We'll get you some shoes and accessories. I'll have Frederick do your hair too."

Elizabeth felt a little twinge of excitement. Being friends with Georgianna Darcy might not be a bad thing at all!

**Okay, I need some help! I'm not sure what Elizabeth should wear but I've limited it to four. Which one will be the dress? I need this so I can finish my next chapter. I can't wait to write Darcy's reaction to seeing her. **

**You can include in your review or email me your selection. **

Dress A - /Juan_Carlos_

Dress B- /Mac_

Dress C - /La_

Dress D - /Nina_


	6. Chapter 6

****I apologize in advance that this chapter is so long. I was going to break it up into two parts but couldn't decide exactly where to stop (Just like Will it seems!). Besides, I feared I was going to be lynched if I didn't let Darcy have his time on the stage. Next chapter will be the benefit. I can't for some reason put links in a posting for you to pick out her dress. **

**Dizzy Lizzy and Julianabr - backless is definitely the way to go. Still looking for the right inspiration, but I have narrowed it down. Instead of black, it is navy. Blue is his favorite color :)**

**Meralien - Thanks for the wicked idea. I definitely will incorporate it. I immediately thought of a scene where Elizabeth is going to try to teach Will to make his own cookies :) It might be a stand alone after I finish the story, we will see :)**

**Several of you took my comments in the last chapter in the wrong way. E & D will have their HEA! I've never written any fan fiction w/ them and not given it to them. I wouldn't start with this story.**

The Doll Chapter 6 - Day 10 - Day 20 May 27 - June 7

Elizabeth tried not to take it personally when Darcy came home for the third night in a row and went directly to his lab without so much as a word to her. Dinner was progressing in the oven and she had opened a bottle of wine to breathe. The deep aroma of meat and vegetables of her beef stew permeated the entire penthouse and she hoped it would entice him to join her. After the first couple of days together, his presence at dinner had been rather hit or miss. She sighed, nursing her wine, more miss than hit. Refusing to allow morose thoughts to fill her when he might still join her, she lit the candles in the antique candleholders she'd inherited from her grandmother. It had been a shame when she had put them into storage when she moved into her tiny apartment. She'd brought them here as her very own good luck charms.

Her eyes strayed to the locked lab door. Should she interrupt him and ask him to come in for dinner? Maybe tell him that she was feeling lonely tonight? She wondered if he was _enjoying the charms_ of his doll while she sat here waiting for him. She'd never thought it possible, but she realized she was quite jealous of the time he devoted to Xy. Was she really so pathetic? She drank deeply from her glass. She had to remain focused on the carrot he dangled in front of her every day. And, what a carrot it was! Attached to his delectable body. Perhaps, she was looking at this the wrong way. After all, if he was spending so much time with Xy, it meant that he was working on getting them closer to what she wanted.

Her cell phone chimed. "What are you doing, Aphrodite?"

She rolled her eyes. Vince was such a menace. "Drowning my sorrows in a nice Merlot. You?"

"Wishing I was drowning in you." She laughed out loud. Vince was a pleasant diversion. One that did not require the heavy thinking her new roommate inspired.

The over buzzer went off. She smirked, laying her cell phone aside to slide on an oven mitt. Turning, she pulled the homemade rolls from the oven. Turning back, she realized she was not alone. Darcy had emerged from his lab and was propping up the doorway, watching her with the oddest expression on his face. Joy at seeing him blossomed in her chest.

"Dinner is ready. Do you want me to make you a plate to take back to the lab?" She tried to remain ambivalent, "Or, do you have time to join me?"

"I have time to join you." He nodded to her cell phone. "You seem happy. Good news?"

"Not really news of any sort." She gingerly placed the rolls in the waiting bread basket. "Just some silliness."

"Silliness? Must be Garter Guy again." A flush tore through her, like she'd been caught doing something wrong. Like stealing. Or cheating. He sauntered toward her, stopping to lean over the island. Stunned, she watched as he turned her phone so he could check her message.

A ping sounded loudly as another message was received. He frowned. Then in a conversational tone, Darcy let her know. "Garter Guy wants to know if you have plans for dinner tomorrow night."

"His name is Vince, Will." She put the cooking sheet in the sink, the mitt back on its hook.

"Well, let's not keep _Vince_ in suspense." He positioned his fingers over the small keys of her Smartphone. "What should we tell him?"

"I think I prefer to deliver my own messages, thank you." Their contract only specified she couldn't have sex with other guys. It actually gave her room for a lot of suspect behavior if she was inclined to misbehave.

"Don't say no on my account. That is, if you intended on saying no." He consulted the little screen. "After all, drowning in one's sorrows doesn't necessarily smack of your contentment."

He rolled his thumb over the screen accessing the rest of the chain of conversation with Vince. She thought back through her provocative responses to Vince's earlier texts and squirmed. They'd been at it ever since she'd moved in with Darcy. There had to be hundreds of not-so-innocent and flirtatious texts.

"We're old family friends." She offered as his silent inspection continued.

Darcy made an unattractive sound as his mouth screwed upward.

"Give me my phone back, Will." Elizabeth demanded holding out her hand. Guilt was rapidly becoming anger at this invasion of her privacy.

"I am shocked Elizabeth, that you'd associate with a man who misquotes both Whitman and Shakespeare. In today's age, it shows an inherent laziness on his part. Tell me, are you so easily impressed?" He shook his head. "He should be ashamed of himself. Poetry is suppose to be 'the food of love.' Where is his imagination?"

Darcy's criticism of Vince needled her. "Not every man can be a brilliant savant like you."

"He should have chosen Matthew Arnold for you, instead of Whitman." He shut his eyes, reciting, "'Come to me in my dreams, and then by day I shall be well again. For then the night will more than pay for the hopeless longing of the day.'"

Darcy held out her phone. She reached for it, but it had been a ruse. In a swift, sweeping movement of his arm, she was propelled forward against his chest. Her phone dropped unceremoniously to the floor. She pushed roughly against his chest, but he made no move to release her. He told her , "Flirt as much as you want. As long as you realize _your old friend _isn't going to make you come anytime in the near future. I am." His hand wove in her hair. "You're mine for the next ninety days."

Feeling the effects of the three glasses of wine she'd consumed, she said, "You mean _eighty_ days, Will. You've already burned up 10 days. Tick Tock."

Darcy let her go as quickly as he had pulled her to him. "Since you obviously have someone to keep you company for the evening, I'm going back to the lab. I have important work to do."

Huffing, Elizabeth bent down and picked up her phone. It was thankfully not broken.

Darcy turned in the doorway and seemed, for him at least, agitated. "See, this is why I wanted to create Xy. She is going to do what I want when I want and I won't be in my lab worrying about her being bored or wondering what she is doing and who she is doing it with."

"It sounds as if the two of you will be exceptionally happy together." Elizabeth moved into the dining room. Her festive tablecloth and place settings mocked her. She blew the candles out.

"What are you doing?"

"Since you don't want dinner and I've lost my appetite, I'm putting dinner away."

"You're not going to eat what you made?"

"No, I don't think I am." She grabbed the plates from the table and carried them back into the kitchen stacking them neatly in the cabinets.

"I told you not to go through all the trouble of making elaborate meals - "

"It's no trouble when I love to cook." She grabbed storage containers from the cabinet and started ladling the stew into them from the stove. "The kitchen is my lab, Will. Do you understand? I like to try new things. Experiment. Create new tastes. Just like you try new things in your lab." She sighed, stopped. "My dream has always been to someday open my own restaurant. The money you're giving me is going to make that a reality."

"Is that wise?" He asked from the kitchen doorway, "To invest all the money into a business, when nearly half fail in their first year? You'd be better off investing the money in something worthwhile like stocks or real estate."

_Something worthwhile? _Elizabeth wondered if he had been so blatantly honest with his sister before she started her company. It hurt her more than she cared to acknowledge that he obviously did not have any faith in her. "Maybe, I'm talented enough to succeed. Like your sister did. Like you did." She'd blame the stress of living with him for the tears streaming unchecked down her cheeks. She was clearly drunker than she thought she was. She sobbed frustrated with the situation, frustrated with him and frustrated with being frustrated in general.

"I was trying to be helpful, Elizabeth."

"Maybe I don't want you to be quite so helpful at the moment." Reaching down, she grabbed a roll from the basket on the counter. She launched it in his direction smacking him squarely on the forehead. Shock spread across his face as he raised a hand to the spot where he had been hit. A reaction. It felt good to see it. She threw another one at him but he dodged it, moving forward to her. Before she could chuck a third one at him, he caught her arm and they struggled.

Eventually, he pinned her on her back like a specimen flat against the island counter. She didn't want him touching her. She told him so.

"Calm down." He ordered. She felt like a child whose parent had to address a temper tantrum. He softly repeated, "Calm down." He did not release her. Instead he transferred both of her wrists into one of his hands. Her arms were stretched high above her head. He made a shushing sound as his finger traced her cheek, erasing the evidence of her tears. Sighing, he lowered himself slowly until they were stomach to stomach. "I never meant to upset you, Elizabeth."

She turned her head trying to avoid looking at him. "You didn't. I'm drunk."

"Why do you do that?" His free hand cupped her chin, turning it firmly so she had no choice but to meet his eyes. To be so emotional while he remained cool and collected made her feel unequal. "Why do you lie about how you feel? This can only work between us if you are honest with me."

"Fine. Honestly, Will, you are an insensitive ass sometimes. Now get off me." Elizabeth bucked against his weight, but it was as ineffective as an ant trying to move a boulder. The only thing her efforts achieved was to bring her the stunning realization contrary to his calm exterior he was aroused. Seriously aroused. He shifted, obviously trying to find a more comfortable position, but it gave her a whole new appreciation for what he was packing. Carrot? More like a cucumber. A long, satisfying cucumber.

"Oh, Elizabeth, I do so like the feel of you underneath me." He shut his eyes, shifting again. Groaning, he kissed her gently. It was exactly as she remembered from the night at her apartment. His tongue and hers danced. Slowly, sensually. Her toes curled, and the room began to spin. She was grateful she was laying down.

Suddenly, Darcy pulled back gasping like someone who had been underwater too long. He stood up, his shoulders slumped, as if he were defeated. "Xy is nowhere near ready. In truth, I'm a week behind where I wanted to be at this juncture of our experiment do to flaws in her design."

_A week behind?_ He could not be serious. How could he already be behind? She sat up in shock, twisting to face the opposite direction. Her first reaction was to tell him to forget his stupid doll. If she was this much trouble, she clearly was not worth it. But seeing the desperately unhappy look on his face, she stopped herself. He believed he needed Xy in some fundamental way. Demanding he give her up to join her in the real world, _in a real bed_, was something that was going to require a good deal of finesse.

*(*

The next day, Jane finally returned her call. After teasing her sister for neglecting her, Elizabeth listened with real interest as her sister described the first leg of her honeymoon on Darcy's estate in England.

"Elizabeth, you'd love it here. I've never seen a place for which nature had done more, or where natural beauty had been so little changed."

"Not that I imagine you and Charles spent much time pursuing outdoor activities." She could hear her sister's blush across the ocean. "So be honest, how is married life?"

"Wonderful. More than wonderful." Jane sighed in contentment. "How are things with you?"

"Good." Elizabeth felt better about the Xy situation after a night's rest and breakfast with Darcy.

"Lizzy, you know mom said something I thought was rather odd when I spoke with her this morning." She'd given up a long time ago trying to figure out how her mother's mind worked and said so. Jane laughed, then questioned, "She said that you went out with Will the day after the wedding. I thought she must be mistaken because you dislike him, but she was quite adamant. Did you really go on a date with him?"

"It wasn't a date, Jane. Will had a job offer he wanted me to consider." Elizabeth pause.

"Really? A job? What are you doing for him?"

"I'm cooking for him." It was not technically a lie.

"He hired you to be his private chef ? Oh, that's amazing, Lizzy! I wonder why he never mentioned it to Charles when they spoke this morning." Elizabeth shut her eyes. She couldn't believe that they had not discussed what they were going to tell the newlyweds. "I can't believe all that he has done for me and Charles. And, now this. Will is such a serious man, I sure hope you aren't teasing him too much."

Elizabeth looked at the receiver. She wanted to tell her sister she wasn't the one doing the teasing. As she was thinking about an appropriate response, the door to her bedroom sprang open and the man himself barged in without knocking. "Elizabeth, I've had a breakthrough! I'm ready for the next set of comparison tests. We can get started right now."

Holding up a hand to stop him, she covered her cell phone quickly but the damage was done.

Jane had heard Darcy. "Are you with him right now?"

She glared at him. He glared right back, pointedly. She knew he thought she was talking to Vince again. She mouthed "Jane" and pointed to her cell phone before she told her sister, "No, of course not, Jane. You must have heard the television. What would I be doing with Will in the middle of a Thursday night?"

He crossed his arms in front of him seriously displeased. She wondered which had caused the behavior her holding up her hand and asking him to wait or the fact she was lying to her sister. Well, he'd lied to his sister telling her all that nonsense about how he had fallen in love with her. Then, she winced. If Jane and Georgie ever met in the future, their house of lies would come crumbling down. She'd worry about all that later. Luckily for her, Charles evidentially could not bear to be parted from Jane long and her sister told her that she had to go. She'd call back soon.

"You need to learn to knock, Will." Elizabeth threw her cell phone on her bed in exasperation and turned to face him. "You said you had a breakthrough?"

"We can finally start the next round of comparison tests." He actually smiled at her. "Take off your shirt. I need to feel your breasts."

_Feel her breasts? _Elizabeth nearly whimpered. "Alright." She could do this! She really could. She would be the epitome of professional. Cold and clinical. Like him. Pulling her t-shirt over her head, she reached behind her unhooking her bra grateful she'd put on one of her prettier ones.

Darcy stood looking at her and she could not stop her body from heating up under his gaze. Why had she ever felt his staring was weird? Now that she knew he liked what he saw, it made her feel sensual. Powerful. Vince may have called her Aphrodite, but Darcy was the one who made her feel like she was a Greek Goddess.

Finally, he moved toward her. Her pulse accelerated with each step in her direction. Instead of stopping in front of her as she thought he would, he circled her. Stood behind her. The anticipation built in her.

"Every time I think there is no possible way you could be any more beautiful, I am amazed to find I am wrong."

From behind her, he rested his hands on her waist. His fingers drifted up her sides, fanning slowly over her ribs pausing at each, before sweeping upward over her beasts, cupping them both at the same time. She gasped, overcome by sensation.

Slowly, he turned her to face him. He took possession of her lips. A hand met her waist but then moved to her derriere pulling her tightly against him as the kiss deepened. She gave herself over to the pleasure of him. As quickly as the kiss had flamed, she felt him retreating. His hand slid up from her bottom back to her waist. His hands had returned to their original assignments smoothing and weighing.

After a long and thorough exploration of her chest, he left her to return to Xy. Elizabeth had to sit on her bed before she could get her knees to stop shaking. Finally, she got herself together.

*(*

Darcy rubbed his temples. "Meira, all of the digital samples are terrible."

"Terrible, Dr. Darcy? Please quantify."

"Nothing, Meira. Delete all the sound wave files associated with XY Project."

"All, Dr. Darcy? Are you sure?"

"Meira, delete them all." He ran a hand through his hair. What had seemed acceptable less than a month ago, now seemed disappointing.

"Deleted."

"Where is Dr. Avery's progress with my working notes on his recording devise?"

"Email received two days ago Dr Darcy. Did you not read it?"

His eyes drifted to the lab door. Was she talking to Vince right now? Time, where was it going? Tick Tock. He checked his watch. Dinner would be ready soon.

"Dr. Darcy?"

The desire to be in her orbit was starting to effect his concentration in his lab at home and at work. "Read email from Dr. Avery."

"An upgrade as you are requesting will put the recording project back an estimated four months. I suggest that we - "

"End message, Meira." He yanked on his tie, taking it completely off. "Delete email." He didn't have four months. "Has Dr. Shindler synthesized silk sample fourteen?"

"Sample will be available in three weeks. Will you require more tests on the finished product?"

"No. It is as close as I can get with the timeline I have. I will have to be satisfied with it." Darcy balled his tie on the table. Of the thirty samples he had requested, the fourteenth one had best approximated her hair. Approximated, because, how would anything feel like the silk of the real thing. At least the sample didn't smell plastic. "Where are we with the iris colors I requested two weeks ago?"

"Onscreen, Dr. Darcy."

He swiped his hand over the touch screen. "None of them will work. None meet the specifications I requested."

"Dr. Darcy, my scan indicates you only looked at twelve of the fifteen selections."

He looked heavenward. "Delete them, Meira. I will keep what I have even though I am seriously displeased."

"Iris samples deleted." There was a silence as the computer waited his next instructions. He sighed. "Check the DARPA initiative folder. Has the team created working notes on my latest proposal for the drone?"

"Yes. Would you like them onscreen?"

"No." He glanced at his watch. "They will keep until morning."

Darcy pulled back from his computer station and crossed over to where Xy was kept in her pod. Entering the code, the lid slid up and into the wall. He pulled back the sheet with great reluctance. Xy's breasts, which had been a source of pride, were now a source of agitation.

The areolas were rosy-tipped. All wrong. He now knew Elizabeth's were the color of sweet caramel. Her nipples were eraser shaped nubs that fit under his thumb perfectly. Xy's were way too long. He put a hand to his forehead calculating how long it would take to correct the flaw. It would be two weeks if he pulled the best silicon specialist he currently had assigned to the DARPA project. Three weeks before the breasts could be augmented with the correct coloring if he used anyone else. The right breast should be a fraction larger than the left. He frowned knowing how Meira would react to that request. Unable to avoid it, he touched the breasts realizing that Xy's were too firm. Elizabeth's were more natural and soft.

Aggravated, he pulled the sheet back into place. Every step forward had become two steps back. The lump of silicon before him could only disappoint. How could he have ever believed it would be able to replace her? Nothing could replace the supple, feminine woman he could hear moving around in the rooms next to him. He glanced at the door, then his watch. Fifteen more minutes before he could rejoin her.

That had been his big breakthrough. Xy was a complete and utter failure. She would never be equal to the original so why pour so much effort into trying to make the components perfect.

After returning to the lab with Elizabeth's kiss fresh on his mind the night he found her texting Garter Guy, he had kissed Xy. The lips and the artificial tongue had moved in the pre-programmed way but now it felt all wrong.

He moved to the bank of windows in his lab and looked out. How had it come to this? He was hiding in his lab. Marking the passage of time until it would seem reasonable to return to her. He couldn't let Elizabeth know the project was ruined. He had convinced her it was all in the name of science. That had been the only reason she had signed the contract. Now, without that excuse, she would leave him.

Darcy couldn't have that. He desperately didn't want her leaving. In the few weeks they had lived together, he'd gotten use to having her around. He liked having her close by. He liked being cared for by her. He liked her nagging him. He liked being quiet with her.

Darcy checked his watch. Ten minutes before he could join her for dinner. She had told him when he arrived home from work that she was making them spinach lasagna. She'd bought some sort of pasta machine and she was excited to try it out. She was so alive and vibrant standing in his kitchen; the smell of cheese, garlic and sauce surrounding her. Her face pink from the heat of the stove. If he couldn't join her, she'd leave him leftovers in the fridge. Either way, she looked up smiling, her eyes bright, she couldn't wait for him to taste it.

Darcy groaned. He wanted to taste something alright. He could see it so clearly - lifting her up on the kitchen island, peeling her out of her jeans so he could part her legs, dip a tongue into her red velvet sweetness. He knew she would offer no resistance to him. She'd made it quite clear she was interested in sex. God help him, but he was too! But, wouldn't she suspect something if he just suggested they skip ahead to the sex trials?

Darcy's watch beeped, alerting him that it was finally time to join her. With a sense of relief that was foreign, he left the lab. Sharing dinner with her by candle light was the favorite part of his day. She informed him how Steve, his concierge, and Paul, his partner, had finally been approved to adopt a child. They were going to have a small gathering which she was going to cater for free. It was going to be their gift to the couple. Did he mind? He told her no. Would he go with her? If she wished, he would. She smiled. Oh, did he know that Magda in 4B was dating again. A boy half her age. He had no idea who Magda was, but he hung on her every word.

There was a new stylist at her salon. Elizabeth had an appointment the following morning. She was considering getting low lights whatever that was for his uncle's benefit, but she wasn't sure. He told her to do as she wanted, but he hoped she did not want to cut her hair. She assured him she wouldn't.

After dinner, he followed her to the kitchen where she tidied up from their meal. She refused his help saying he would only be in her way, but if he wanted, he could keep her company. She looked so domesticated in the little apron tied about her waist fluttering around his kitchen.

"How's Xy coming?"

He ran a hand over the back of his neck. She paused wrapping their leftovers. Her voice adopted that sensual huskiness to which he was growing increasingly sensitive. "Is there anything I can do?" She looked so very eager. Eager for him.

A man was only born with so much self-control and his had been exhausted. It had been less than three weeks! How would he feel as they closed in to the end of three months? She put the leftovers in his refrigerator and then came to him. Sighing, she turned and linked her hands around his neck, "Is it time to endure more of your horrible experiments?"

No, he almost admitted. No experiment. This was a personal request. Entirely personal. There was no point trying to convince himself otherwise. "Kiss me, Elizabeth."

"The things I do for science." She sighed dramatically. When she pulled away, doubt clouded her lovely face. "You didn't like it?"

It wasn't that he hadn't liked it. It was more like her offering had not been enough. It had all the quenching power of a thimbleful of water to a thirsty man. And, he was thirsty for her. So very thirsty. "I want to kiss like we did earlier."

Understanding washed over her. She made the trip again, brushing herself against him like a satisfied cat. Before she united their lips again, she whispered sultrily, "You mean like this."

Minutes later, Darcy surfaced breathless. He knew he was starting to delude himself. Fantasize. Pretend. Both scary premises for a man firmly planted in the hard truths of science. The fantasies were all centered on the same theme, that she was living with him, not for any other reason but because she simply wanted to be. Not for the money. Not for the sex. But, for him.

Space had drifted between them as he was thinking. He framed her face with his hands, meeting her quizzical gaze. She did not speak. It was strange that someone who loved to talk as much as she did seemed to understand he needed his quiet time. After a few moments, she placed her hands on his making the connection between them more solid.

Moved, Darcy rained soft kisses against her. Everything he could touch - her forehead, her cheek, her nose, her mouth, her chin. She arched back giving him access to her neck, the exposed v left by her blouse enticed him lower. It was not enough. These little snatches of skin she bared to him. He slipped a button open on her blouse, then another and another until the garment slid forgotten to the floor. The vibrant red bra filled his field of vision. Like a bull, he bellowed low in his throat.

In his haste, he tore the scrap of cloth from her. He felt slightly possessed as his mouth closed around the harden nub of her breast. Nothing could make him want her more. Then, he heard her cry of pleasure. Desire for her notched inexplicitly higher. He moaned. She made him feel alive, as if he were waking after a long sleep.

"Fuck me, you're good at this."

Elizabeth being vulgar was another turn on. He felt her hands in his hair, tugging at his curls. On and on it went, he was anxious to discover what she liked, what combination of tongue and touch, that made her lose control. She shook in his arms, swaying on unsteady legs. He picked her up depositing her on the island. Their island. Moving from breast to breast not wanting to slight either. Her moans became louder. With a hand, he parted her denim encased legs, moving in between them, then guiding them to wrap round him. He needed to be closer to her. To feel more of her. To have her completely around him.

"Oh, my God." She grinded against him, imitating sex. Her frenzied, whispered encouragement made him dizzy. His eager mouth widened wanting to have more of her. Ever more of her. Her hands were working on his shirt before he helped her by pulling it off. She rubbed her hands over his chest, inching closer to the edge of the counter, "Kiss me, Will."

Darcy could not ignore such a request. The need to please her was paramount. Their bodies pressed together, the weight of her soft breasts against his solid chest an interesting sense of satisfaction all its own. He flattened her back to the tabletop. Memories of the last time they were here merged with the present. Elizabeth moved beneath him, undulating, agile brushes of her body against his felt so natural, so right.

"Fuck me." Her new request caused ripples of panic. Her legs tightened around his waist as if she knew it would. Her hand trailed down between them. Stopped on him. Down there. "Right here. Right now."

Darcy pulled back from her again, watching almost in a daze as her hands went to work on his belt. He was going to stop her. In just a minute. The desire stamped on her face was like a drug to him.

He felt her tug on his waistband, felt his button free, he heard the unmistakable sound of his zipper unzipping. He was going to stop her. Just a moment more.

They'd need a condom. He'd carry her to his bedroom. He had boxes waiting for them.

Her tender search for him in his briefs brought him back to the present. Felt her warm fingers brushed his shaft, before they worked themselves into industrious strokes. Each flicker of her skin against his penis causing his body to tighten, to jut, to jerk.

The pleasure of her face as she smiled up at him. As there was nothing she'd rather be doing but this. As if his sounds of pleasure, excited her too. "I want you inside me, Will."

The suggestion of him buried deep inside of her was too much. It was too much pleasure. Too quickly. And, to his horror, he ejaculated. Right there. In her hand. And, all over her magnificent breasts.

17


	7. Chapter 7

I know I am a little late with this chapter, but for the many of you who complained and badgered (really it motivates me to know that people are waiting!) it is the longest one I have ever posted. We are over halfway in my saga, but the plot bunnies would not leave me any peace as I worked and reworked on this chapter. I am not sure if I am satisfied with it, but I am interested in moving onto the next chapter. It is half written. I am not the greatest at writing love scenes and this one is the most explicit I've ever done. I hope I did okay.

Btw, thanks to all of you who helped with the dress :) I ended up taking several "pieces" of gowns I liked and made them a literary one. Also, Asylum by John Legend is one of the sexiest songs I have ever heard. I had it on loop as I was writing their scene. Check it out.

The Doll Chapter 7 - Day 21 - 24 June 8 - June 11

After the _incident_, Elizabeth sat still on the island and tried to think of what it meant that he had not been able to withstand the _slightest _of her advances in this first foray into lovemaking. While it was impossible for her not to be disappointed, she hoped she hid it behind a look of serenity. As if _this_ happened to her all the time.

Darcy did not seem to want to look at her. In fact, he was looking _everywhere _but her. And like most men trying to clean up a mess he made, he was making only more of a mess. It was as if he was out of his depths. A strange sort of warm compassion stirred within her for him. She placed a calming hand on his, stilling it. Her touch motivated him to speak. "That has never happened before."

"Never?" She looked at him searching his face for a hint he was lying. "Not even with the delectable Cheryl?"

The dark look he gave her spoke volumes. Elizabeth had misunderstood so much about the man, but it was clear he was embarrassed. His pride, and he was a proud man, had sure taken a beating. No pun intended.

Elizabeth perked up, aware that his reaction to such an event was going to be driven by hers. She could either bemoan what just occurred or she could take the high road. She'd always been the half glass full kind of gal. The annoying Pollyanna of the group. She smiled saucily, "I guess I should feel flattered then, right?"

That question drew his attention fully. His eyes flared and his jaw tightened but his face was passive. She could not laugh, at least not yet because he was not ready to, but it was equally important that he not view this as a disaster. After all, the good kind of sex did involve eruptions. While the end result was achieved a little quicker than she would have liked, Darcy definitely had shown flashes of promise. He could just be a little rusty. That could be sorted out with a little elbow grease. And, if she had her way, they'd have lots and lots of opportunity to knock off his rust.

"It's been a while, right? Since you've been with anyone but Xy?"

Darcy sighed, bent down, and retrieved her blouse. He held it out in her direction. It was cute how his ears turned red. "Almost nine months."

"Nine months. That's a long time." She slipped her blouse back on and started to do up the buttons, saw the state of her bra and shrugged. What was the point? She was only going to have to undress again for her shower anyway. "And, sex with Xy is pretty one-sided, right?" He stood looking at her, his mouth parted. His flaccid manhood was distracting, she helped him back into his pants before clarifying, "I mean she can't, you know, touch you back. Play with you like I just did."

His mouth shut. He shook his head, admitting, "Xy does just sort of lay there."

A soft laugh escaped before she could clamp it off. He must have realized what he said because his lips curved into not quite a smile. It was a good sign that they were talking calmly about this rather than ignoring it. Right? Her mother would be proud of her.

"You know what?" Elizabeth rested her hands on his shoulders careful to keep her moist parts away from him. "Maybe, we shouldn't wait until July to start having sex?" He looked uncomfortable at the suggestion and she placed a finger on his lips. "Just think about it, Will. Instead of trying to make Xy more like me, I can be more like her. At least, at first. I could just lay still. Like Xy does. Keep my hands to myself. Just until you have a chance to get use to me. Instead of jumping into the deep end of the pool, we can wade into it. Together. Slowly." She'd pretend to be a doll for him. Hell, she'd pretend to be a barking dog baying at the moon, anything he wanted, as long as she ultimately got what she wanted. She'd never been like this with anyone else. So free. So open. So desperate.

He seemed doubtful. "That doesn't sound like it will be much fun for you. What would you get out of speeding up our timeline?" At least, he didn't say no.

"Are you kidding?" She drew a finger down his chest, following the patch of dark hair that formed an arrow to her heart's desire. "I get you." She met his eyes boldly. "Besides, it would help me out so much if we started having sex now. Cold showers are not good for my skin. And, have you seen the price of batteries these days?" She laughed at his stunned reaction. "Oh, and most importantly, and this is embarrassing, Prince Charming has been seriously complaining about his workouts since I moved in here with you. He is such an ungrateful whiner." He opened his mouth. She expected a speech of sorts. It didn't come. He shut his mouth. "He keeps dropping hints that he wants a vacation. Some place sunny, dry and warm, he says. Like he has it so bad?"

The dimples captured in Georgie's drawing made a brief appearance.

She hung her head. "You really don't know rejection until even your own vibrator doesn't want you."

He drew closer to her, whispering. "I want nothing more than to be able to send Prince Charming into early retirement."

"Retirement?" She giggled, amused by his suggestion. "Can you see it? A retirement home for sex toys? Prince Charming sitting in group therapy somewhere exchanging war stories with all of the other retirees. He might need a walker. I think I might have broken his hip."

His laughter was as unexpected as it was rich. "I wish I had known. After all these weeks, he probably needs a wheelchair."

Laughing, she punched him lightly in the arm. He moved forward, capturing her hands, swooping in for a kiss. Elizabeth had imagined a lot of things since Darcy had propositioned her, but she'd never imagined that she could laugh with him. She'd never imagined that they could actually be friends. This felt entirely too real.

He was still smiling, but then he noticed her expression. She registered the humor retreating from his kind eyes, the question brewing on his brow. "Elizabeth?"

She smiled an entirely fake smile, hoping it could fool him. "I think I need to take a shower and get a change of clothes. Why don't you go back to your lab and see if you can make any headway with Xy?"

He looked at his lab door with a strange expression, then he nodded, "Yes, you're right, of course. I should go back to work."

*(*

The next morning, Elizabeth woke to discover Darcy was already gone. In his place, he had left a letter and a package next to the coffee maker where there would be no way she could miss them. Their presence gave her pause. It was some time that she held the envelope with her name admiring the fine penmanship of his hand. Why had he written to her? Did he want her to leave? She poured a cup of coffee from the pot he had left her, took her letter and package, and dropped heavily into a chair at the dining room table.

_Elizabeth,_

_Sleep eludes me tonight. Twice, I have had to stop myself from going to your room determined to let you know how very much I appreciated your earlier kindness to me. But, there is more to my determination. I wish to show you that what occurred between us tonight was an aberration. That I am a generous lover. Believe me or not, I have never before left my partner wanting. And, that it was you, left that way, makes me feel quite the amateur. _

Elizabeth chewed her lip. He, at least, had gotten off. She now suspected she knew exactly how people spontaneously combusted. She loosened her robe.

_I take full responsibility for not being successful in meeting expectations I alone established. In my defense, I miscalculated terribly what your touch would do to me. As it seems I have done from the beginning, I have underestimated your appeal greatly. _

_That has not been my only mistake. Worse, time spent with you only seems to amplify Xy's every shortcoming, making progress with her move at a glacier pace. It is a chore to focus on her knowing you are nearby, within reach. There will always be something she lacks. How is she ever going to stir my passion the way you do? _

_I cannot lie. After you sent me to my lab, you were all I could think of. I kept torturing myself, replaying you before me, your cheeks flushed with excitement, demanding I fuck you. How would it feel to finally be one with you? To hear your cry my name in ecstasy? To drive you every bit as crazy as you did me? This is torture of the acutest kind._

Fanning herself with the pages of his letter, Elizabeth admitted that if he ever grew bored with his career in science he could always turn to Harlequin. She'd buy anything he wrote. If they included his picture on the jacket, he'd have legions of fans.

_Elizabeth, I cannot continue like this. Restricted by a timeline that no longer makes sense. I can no longer fight against what has now become an ingrained need. I find myself in agreement with your suggestion we no longer wait. Let's dispense with the insignificant and move forward. After the benefit, I wish for us to finally become lovers. _

Elizabeth put her coffee cup down so hard that it almost broke the delicate saucer. Lust worked its way through her sleepy limbs. This was news Darcy should have delivered in person. Preferably naked. She imagined all sorts of naughty things she could have done to him if he had told her of his change of heart this very morning. The letter continued.

_Waiting will only further clutter a mind that is already full of you. Even now, as I try to rationalize away these feelings, I find my gaze riveted to my bedroom door willing you through it. If you had come to me tonight, you would have found me unable to resist any wish you had that is within my power to grant. _

Elizabeth willed her pulse to slow. Now that she had something to look forward to, she could not afford burning alive. His words were designed to seduce. He had to want her to feel this way.

_In anticipation of tonight, I have left you a small token of my esteem. You now know my wish. If you wear them, I will know with one glance that you are in agreement with me. There will be no need for further discussion in a subject I feel well exhausted. However, if you do not agree that now is the best time to begin, refrain from wearing them until you are certain that you wish to proceed. _

_Yours, _

_William Darcy _

Laying the letter aside, she opened the package he had left her. The leather case was held shut with a simple latch. Springing it, the sea of diamonds glittered up at her from a deep purple bed of velvet. She gasped. There was no way the delicate necklace and matching earrings could be real, because if they were, they would be worth a small fortune. _A small token of his esteem? _He could not mean to leave them for her. There had to be a mistake. They were too fine. Too expensive. Too beautiful.

*(*

"Hello?" Elizabeth heard the soft baritone from her bedroom and went to investigate. The building was secure. The elevator to the penthouse required a code and a key card. Whoever was visiting had to have had both.

A tall, tuxedoed man was at Darcy's bedroom door, raising a hand to knock when she called out to him, "Can I help you?"

The man turned confused in her direction. He was striking. All blonde haired, blue eyed magnificence. He had that bad boy look about him that she usually found extrinsically irresistible. His dazed expression gave her confidence a much needed kick in the pants. If she could reduce a stranger to this, Darcy didn't stand a chance. She felt strangely smug.

"You'll make my day if you tell me you aren't Elizabeth Bennet."

She shrugged. "I'm afraid to disappoint you, but it is the name on my birth certificate."

"Just my luck." He was flirting with her and a part of her liked it. "I can see now why Will has kept you to himself all this time. Where are my manners? I'm Will's cousin, Richard. Richard Pool." He held out a hand to her. She shook it and felt a little uncomfortable when he held it a fraction too long. His blue gaze flowed up her body before settling once again on her face. "Georgie said you were something special. I'm afraid, I didn't give what she said about you much weight. She's eager to approve of anything Will likes."

She didn't know what to say to that. "Will's not here. He went into the lab early this morning but he should be home anytime. Are you going to your father's event with us?"

His eyebrows peaked. "Will didn't call you? Ain't that just like him? He has been held up at the lab. He wouldn't have time to come here to pick you up and then travel on to New Jersey by the time he finishes. Some promising something or other is happening at this very moment and he isn't able to get away just yet."

"I see." Disappointment lashed at her. All dressed up and nowhere to go. Another first. She'd never been stood up before. "Thanks for coming to tell me. It was nice of you."

She started for the door to walk him out, when Richard stopped her by saying, "I think you misunderstood. He wants me to take you to the benefit. I'm to pick up his tux and you."

This news was much worse. For all his pretty words, actions spoke so much louder. She was just like his dry cleaning. Anyone could pick her up. She felt her temper flare. Richard was watching her closely. A little too closely. She was half tempted to call Darcy herself and give him a good piece of her mind.

Richard must have caught on to her feelings. "Don't worry, he'll meet us there. Will may make us wait, but he's never let the family down."

But, her, he could let down.

"Let me get our things." She found his clothes in the hallway closet where she had put them after picking them up from the cleaners. His dress shoes, socks and tie were still in the bag from where she had bought them new for the occasion. She picked up her cell phone and her clutch.

Acting as the gentleman, Richard held her wrap out for her and when she turned he gasped. The dress had no back and floated near her behind. His hand lingered at her hip. "If you don't mind my prying, Elizabeth, why are you using the guest room?"

She didn't think about it at all. "Will snores."

Richard nodded. "I wasn't looking forward to this evening, but after meeting you, I think I'm going to enjoy the trip to New Jersey after all."

"Not looking forward to your dad's benefit? Does that mean it is going to be tedious?"

"Yes. You can set your watch by it." He pressed the button on the elevator. "In fact, I'm half tempted to take a picture of you in that dress and send it to Will with a long list of kidnapping demands just to liven things up."

She stepped into the car. "And, what would you ask him for to return me?"

An easy smile graced the man's lips. He had the same sensual lips that Darcy had. "That depends on what you think you are worth."

"Isn't the question what am I worth to Will?" She tossed back.

"Yes. That indeed is the question of the evening." Richard's eyes narrowed perceptively on her. Suddenly, it struck Elizabeth that the man before her might be more than the sum of his good looks. She had a funny feeling that she should employ the same tactic she did with Georgie at that first lunch. Carefully monitor her words and remain on her toes.

As they drove down I-95, Richard entertained her with stories of the Darcy siblings all the way to the state line and beyond. When they arrived at the venue, he checked her coat and left Will's clothes for him as prearranged. He returned swiftly to her side to escort her into the ballroom. She immediately tensed at the milling sea of impeccably dressed people. It was quite off putting seeing so many important and glamorous people. Movie stars, sport figures, newsmen, politicians. She put a steadying hand on her stomach.

"Don't worry. You fit right in, Elizabeth." He said at her ear.

She was grateful to have him as an escort. "I admit I'm scared that I am going to disappoint Will and your family is not going to like me."

"Oh, I'm sure my family is much worse than you've imagined." He winked at her. "Just hold your head high and keep that magnificent smile on your face. Georgie already loves you. My Aunt Catherine will hate you on sight. My mother will like you simply because you are dating Will. My father, well, he is a bit of a wildcard. There is really no telling what he will decide about you."

She turned in real alarm at him.

"And, I'm easy. I'm already half in love with you." His eyes never left her face. "In fact, I think I'd be in real trouble if you were not already taken. Love at first sight and all." He moved her forward by pressing on her spine. "Oh, here we are."

The introductions were performed.

Georgie sat down next to her on one side, Richard the other. Her friend leaned in, "My brother is going to explode when he sees you in that dress."

Elizabeth certainly hoped not. Though after last night, it was more than a distant possibility. She leaned back toward her friend. "The dress is exquisite. Thank you for loaning it to me."

The oldest resident at the table was great Aunt Catherine, who looked at her through thick bifocals. She obviously wanted her say in the conversation, "What is exquisite is that necklace and earrings you are wearing, young lady."

"Will gave it to me this morning." Elizabeth laid a hand on the necklace to confirm it was still in place. "I've never worn anything so fine."

The woman's face soured, puckered like an old dried out lemon. "Do you see this, Paul? Our nephew is handing out his mother's jewelry to just ole' anybody. What next? Georgie you should speak to your brother. The Darcy jewelry were intended to remain in the family."

Elizabeth looked at Georgie feeling sick. "These were your mother's? I had no idea. I would never have presumed to wear them if I had known."

"Don't mind my aunt. If Will wants you to have them, they are _his _to give." Georgie moved her chair closer, whispering, "Besides, it's a Darcy tradition that Will's wife will get them all anyway when he marries."

Swallowing, Elizabeth reached for her water glass. It was clear what Darcy's sister believed she was a candidate for the role. She felt the beginning of a headache and almost told the girl the real truth right then and there. Richard was nursing a drink and watching her closely. His blue eyes lingered on her in a way that was reminiscent of his darker cousin.

This was her own fault. From their first meeting, Georgie had given more weight to her relationship with Darcy than was there. He'd misled her. No, Elizabeth shut her eyes, they'd misled the younger woman. Together. Suddenly, she felt dirty, like she was a big, fat liar. It struck her then that in a few short months, the girl was no longer going to look at her in that adoring way. She was going to hate her.

Georgie was going all gooey again. "If I remember correctly, that is the necklace my dad gave my mom at their fifteenth wedding anniversary."

"No, you mother received a Cartier watch on their fifteenth. I know because your father asked me for my help in picking it out." Catherine flicked her hand in Elizabeth's direction. "Those pieces were given to Anne to commemorate Will's birth. His birth! How could he give them to you is beyond me."

"Obviously, he gave them to me because he wanted me to have them." Elizabeth sat up straighter projecting confidence, while she was actually thinking she should have thrown a hissy fit back at the penthouse when she had been given the chance and refused to come here with Richard.

"Your parents, Elizabeth, would we know them?" Senator Pool asked, ignoring completely his sister's tirade about her jewelry.

"I doubt it. My dad is a chemistry teacher. My mother is er- " She made a face. It was probable that they had heard about her. "My mother is the therapist, Fanny Bennet."

Senator Pool almost became apoplectic. "The sex therapist?"

"The one who rights all the sex books?" His wife, a meek blonde woman, actually looked at her with a little more interest. "My book club just finished her last one. There was a lot of useful information." The Senator and his wife exchanged a heated look.

Elizabeth chewed her lip. Wow, wouldn't her mom be surprised how progressive the Senator was. "Yes, that would be my mother."

Richard laughed, coming to his feet. He held a hand out to her. "Elizabeth, dance with me."

The orchestra was playing a slow jazz number and Richard seemed to like to hold her entirely too close. She kept pulling back from him while he tried to nudge her forward. It added an awkward yo-yo effect to their path around the dance floor. "Bennet? Are you related to Jane? The one that Charles married?"

Elizabeth relaxed. There was probably nothing she could say to get her into trouble with regards to the wedding. "Yes, she's my sister. I was her bride's maid."

"Ah, it makes a little more sense then." He said.

"What does?"

"Will's desperate need to take all those dance classes." Richard stated. "He must have taken three classes a week for the last six months. I'm surprised you two didn't take them together."

"He wanted to surprise me." And this news had. Had he taken the classes for her? To impress her? It seemed impossible to believe.

"Didn't you miss him? All those hours away from you."

"I just figured he was at his lab. He spends so much time there already." She searched for a way to get the attention off of her. "Georgie mentioned you're involved in real estate."

"I dabble." He responded. She didn't buy it for a minute. Then, his shoulders stiffened a fraction. "Georgie told you about me. Not Will? After seven months of dating, he hasn't gotten around to telling you about me? I find that odd."

Richard was a smart man and he was entirely too curious about her and Darcy. She had a suspicion that he would not be as easy to fool as Georgie. "Your cousin and I don't actually spend a lot of time talking about his relatives."

"No, I don't imagine you do." Richard's gaze heated dropping once more to her glittering necklace. "So, what is it that you do for a living, Elizabeth?"

"Besides entertaining Will, nothing much. You see, I'm currently in between jobs."

He frowned, "Georgie said you were planning on opening a restaurant."

"Someday, I do." She agreed. "It takes a lot of capital to get started." In fact, Elizabeth had been startled at exactly how much it would cost to rent space and buy the items required to open an establishment of her own. She didn't want to admit it, but Darcy's concerns were real. Even if she took all her ill gotten gains, it would barely put a dent in the amount she would need. "I'm weighing my options at the moment."

"And, does Will's money weigh into these options? I am sure that you believe my cousin will generously contribute to your endeavor." Elizabeth saw the hostility on Richard's face and could not account for it. "Answer me, has Will offered you financial assistance?"

The implication could not be missed. He thought she was after Darcy for his money. She wished she could deny that money was being exchanged, but she couldn't. "I don't think that is any of your business, Richard."

*)*

"May I cut in?" Elizabeth almost sagged with relief at Vince's voice, turning happily away from Richard. She did not find him as pleasant company as she had earlier in the evening. Her old friend looked very dapper in his evening clothes as he closed a possessive hand around her waist.

"Thank you for that. I feel like you've just drug me out of the lion's den."

"How grateful are you, Lizzy?" Vince waggled his eyebrows.

"Not that grateful." She retorted. They settled into a nice rhythm. "What are you doing here? Are you a closeted Republican? Does your mom know?"

"No, she doesn't. My boss is a major contributor to both parties. I think he is hedging his bets. He doesn't know that I'm an Independent. You must keep my secret." She laughed up at him. "Does your parents know that you are here and, sitting I might add, at the popular kid's table."

"You saw that did you?" She shrugged, "They told me there was free food. A girl has to eat."

"Speaking of which, you never did give me an answer to my dinner invitation."

"I'm afraid my answer has to be no." Elizabeth felt an odd tingling along her bare spine and fought the urge to turn. Someone was staring a hole through her. She'd bet it was Richard. Or Aunt Catherine. "I'm sorta seeing someone, Vince." There it felt good to get it off her chest. And, in person too!

"Are you sure you aren't making up some guy just to get me to leave you alone? You know I'm not a serial killer, right? I'm pretty easy on the eyes and have a good personality. At least, my mom thinks so. So, does yours by the way. In fact, she tells me I'm quite the catch."

"Not that I'm taking anything away from you, but any single man under forty with his own place and a job is quite the catch for one of her daughters." Vince threw his head back, laughing. "I hope you haven't been taking any of her advise too seriously?"

"Just the part where she told me to not be discouraged if you play hard to get." He turned them.

Her mom. Clearly, she had taken the spare man idea to heart. "I'm really seeing someone, Vince. It's new. I'm not on the market at the moment."

"At the moment? You mustn't be too serious about this guy to say something like that." Vince's hand moved up and down against her bare spine. "I think I'll keep waiting, Lizzy. This new guy obviously has his head up his ass if he let you out in that dress. He can't be very smart."

Elizabeth actually laughed at that. The idea that William Darcy was not smart was ironic to be sure. The man was a genius. They danced in a little box formation until the end of the song. When the next jazz song started and mostly because she was avoiding the awkwardness at the Pool Party table, she remained with him on the dance floor. She felt like a stubbed toe sitting with them without a date. It was nicer being here with Vince. He must be reading the situation wrong because his hand drifted lower. She pulled his hand back up giving him a dark look. He shrugged sheepishly. Men! He pulled her closer, whispering in her ear, "Lizzy, was your new boyfriend by any chance at Jane's wedding?"

"Yes, but we were not together then, why?"

"Elizabeth." A shiver went through her as Darcy's voice carried over the din of the orchestra. Not a small feat when they were right next to the bandstand.

Vince immediately released her and they both turned to see her tardy date. He looked absolutely mouth watering in his tuxedo. Even better than he had at the wedding. Her partner chuckled good-naturedly, "Not the Best Man, Lizzy."

"Yes, the best man." Darcy answered for her. Anger actually radiated off of him, like heat from a furnace. His behavior irked her. She was just dancing with Vince. That was permitted under the terms of their contract. What had he expected to find when he _finally_ showed up? Her knitting him a scarf?

"Vince Brody." Her friend remembered his manners and held out his hand to Darcy, who cut the other man. Darcy was staring. Straight at her. His eyes flicked up her like Richard and Vince had, but unlike her body's lukewarm reaction to them, her body blistered. Vince did not even rate on his radar.

She finally found the ability to speak. "Vince, this is Will Darcy."

"Well, Lizzy," Vince finally seemed to get the picture he was a third wheel. "It was a pleasure as always. Just remember what I said about me waiting."

"And, just what is that suppose to mean?" Darcy focus switched just like that.

Vince heard his question and turned back. "It means that while you are leaving your woman unattended and allowing other men to do your job, you run the risk that one might actually do it better than you."

*(*

Upon his arrival at the family's table, Georgie wasted no time letting Darcy know that Elizabeth was dancing with another man. Another man who had actually had the audacity to interrupt Richard's dance with Elizabeth.

"You were dancing with Elizabeth?" He asked Richard, a little put off at this news.

His cousin nodded, lowering his beer. "You haven't seen your woman in her dress. When you do, you'll realize that half the men here are fantasizing about her." Darcy frowned. Richard rarely, if ever, drank at events for his father. He liked to keep a clear head. There were already two beers in front of him and the night was young.

Darcy had bigger worries right now than his cousin getting drunk. He searched the dance floor from the elevated viewpoint. He had to see her. Would she have the necklace on? Did she want to conclude this night the same way he did? It had been nearly impossible leaving her this morning without speaking to her.

Darcy was glad that he had called his team together at the lab today. In a few short hours, they had worked more cohesively than they had in the last several months. Splitting up the team to work on Xy and the DARPA project had been a mistake. He could see that now. A team divided stood for nothing. Finally, free to have his focus trained on the issues with the drones, he was amazed at their progress. In one day, the reunited team under his guidance had come up with solutions to several seemingly immoveable stumbling blocks.

But his satisfaction at his team's success meant nothing when he finally found her dancing with HIM. Something dark and powerful was snapping within him. Gnawing its way through his chest. The dress she was wearing was practically indecent. The back was bare, from her neck all the way down past her waist, hinting at her tailbone. The navy material, what little he could see, gloved her buttock. There was no way she would have worn that out in public if he had seen her in it. No way she would have made it out of her bedroom. When she turned, he saw the flash of her creamy thigh as the slit went up clear to her waist.

The worst thing for him, though, was she was laughing. Laughing, he shut his eyes, as she had with him in the kitchen the night before. Seeing her laughing with another man was hard to take. He could feel Richard watching him waiting for a reaction. He was not that sort of man. The kind that got jealous if his date enjoyed the company of another man. He took a deep steadying breath. He justified her actions. She had ever right to dance with any man she wanted. She had a right to do whatever she wanted as long as she didn't have sex.

She laughed again. Damn, the contract! There were other ways to be intimate besides having sex. He had daily proof. Her smiles, her conversation, her care, her kisses. He stood but hesitated by his chair. He was well aware that his behavior was now being monitored by his uncle. He wiped at his mouth. Had she kissed Vince? Had she rubbed herself against him as she had him in their kitchen? Did she want to?

One song became two. Neither Elizabeth nor her partner made move to end their dance. Each note added exponentially to the disquiet growing in him. Added, to what could not be jealousy. Vince ran a hand along her back and it was too much. He could only stand so much! He was across the dance floor before he had a plan. It registered too late that he should have waited until the song was over and interrupted them then. Vince's hand fell to her derriere and he saw red.

**"It means that while you are leaving your woman unattended and allowing other men to do your job, you run the risk that one might actually do it better than you."**

Murderous ideas sped through his mind as he stepped forward. He was going to punch the smug look off the other man. Vince might have bested him for the garter, with a little help from his brother, but this night they were facing each other man to man. Elizabeth stepped between him and Vince smiling up at him, putting a hand on his chest and telling Vince she'd see him later. Like hell she would!

Darcy took her hand and practically drug her back to the family's table. He did not trust himself to be alone with her. He waited until she was seated next to him before turning to her. "Did you plan to meet up with him? Did you tell him you were going to be here?"

"No." She answered, nudging her head to one side as if he needed any reminder they had an audience. It was good thing they did for her sake. His temper he could not vouch for at the moment.

"I don't believe you."

Her mouth parted. Had she kissed Vince? "Perhaps you would like to check my phone ?"

She'd probably already erased her history after the last time he caught her. He tried to ignore the questioning look of his sister. "What did he mean that he'd be waiting? Waiting for what?"

"I don't know. Perhaps, you should ask him?" Her voice lowered, her cheeks were flaming red.

"Maybe I will." He scowled looking back across the ballroom where her partner had skulked. Grilling the man lacked the satisfaction grilling her would bring. "Tell me honestly, did you arrange this meeting with him?"

"I already told you I didn't." She said, "I was as surprised to see him here as you were."

"You seemed awful cozy with him for it to be an accidental meeting."

"Are you calling me a liar?" Elizabeth asked. Her eyes were bright like stars. He did not answer her. Yes, he thought she was lying. It was too much of a coincidence.

"Did you text him back?" Darcy saw a couple at the next table turn at his loud question. "Or, is the poor fool still waiting in limbo for you to respond to his dinner invitation?" Georgie gasped obviously listening to their conversation. Elizabeth rose to her feet. "Where do you think you are going?"

"I'm going to get away from a jackass who is ruining my night."

*(*

Elizabeth fled to the balcony trying hard to get her anger in check. How dare he? How dare he treat her like this? First, having Richard pick her up. And, then take her to task for dancing with Vince? True, she knew it looked planned, but she had truly never imagined he was going to be here. It wasn't like she had invited him. Besides, if Darcy had not wanted her interacting with other men, he should have spelled it out to her in the contract.

The door behind her opened and shut with some authority. So, she was not going to get a reprieve. She turned, glaring at him. "Don't you ever talk to me that way again, William Darcy. Do you hear me? If you do, I swear I'll leave."

He pulled at the sleeve of his tuxedo. "All things considered, that might be best. I'll have a driver take you. I'll join you at the penthouse after I give my speech."

"You're crazy if you think I'm going to your penthouse."

"Then where?" He really looked puzzled. Then, clarity came. She could see it cross his face. "You me you'd leave me?"

"Hell, yes, I would. I wouldn't even look back." She crossed her arms in front of her. "If you ever embarrass me like that in public again, there is nothing you have that will stop me. You might not respect me, but I do have self-respect."

He rubbed the back of his neck, "What did I say that was so terrible?"

"Really?" She blinked at him. "Do you understand that you just called me a liar in front of your entire family?" She lowered her voice. "Will, they think we are a couple. That we're together for real. And, now, they probably think I am cheating on you."

"Are you?" He glanced behind him at the doors, then at her. "Are you sleeping with him?"

She turned away from him. "I promised I wouldn't have sex with another men. I've kept my word."

"Then, why is it every time I turn around you are either engaged in a flirtation with that man or you are in his arms? Is he that irresistible to you that you just can't hold off a few more months?"

Vince? Elizabeth rubbed at her temple. "Irresistible? No. But, it was better dancing with him then sitting with people I didn't know." She took a deep breath. "What were you thinking? Do you want your family to hate me?"

"That's just it, I'm not thinking!" The admission cost him something and confused her further. He kicked at the pebbles of the patio. A strange look passed over Darcy's face. She expected a continuation of his behavior from inside, but instead he walked toward her, his hand held palms up. "The most damnable thing is that man was right. If I don't appreciate you properly, Elizabeth, someone else will."

She snorted.

"I'm sorry for treating you the way I just did. It will not happen again. Ever. You have my word. In the future, if we have a disagreement, it will be done in private."

Darcy's apology had taken the sting out of her anger. After all, when would she ever see these people again? Only Georgie, and if she thought her brother was happy, she would be as well.

"And, I do respect you, Elizabeth. Very much. For me, you are the embodiment of the ideal woman."

She didn't want his pretty words. She was still mad at him.

His eyes burned the distance between them. His voice turned husky, "You wore the necklace."

"I did." She would not be distracted. She saw him inhale and exhale. "It went with the dress."

"I'm a fool, Elizabeth. A big idiotic fool. Stupid, jackass of a fool - "

"Keep going. I'll stop you when you say something incorrect."

He smiled. "It's not your fault that you bring out all sorts of primitive emotions in me, Elizabeth."

"Primitive? Like a caveman?"

His posture relaxed as he tried to draw her closer to him. She resisted his efforts.

"Please, Elizabeth."

Something about the tenor of his voice, the look on his face made her give in. A strange sense of relief their brief argument was over settled within her. For a long time, she stood in the circle of his arms just enjoying the stillness with him. He kissed her temple, telling her, "I have to admit the idea of throwing you over my shoulder and dragging you out of here does sound very appealing right now. Especially in that dress."

"Do you like it?"

"A blind man would like this dress on you."

She smiled at the compliment. "Your sister is very talented."

"She is." He pulled back glancing once more at her. "I have a whole new appreciate for my sister's brilliance tonight."

Elizabeth did not know how he managed it. He wove magic from the very night. The stars above them, the coolness of the evening, the heat he could generate with just his eyes. Strains of music could be heard here on the deserted patio. The beat of her heart matched the rhythm of his breathing.

"Elizabeth?"

She knew what he was asking. "Yes, Will."

The kiss was hungry, brutal. Swept passed all of her defenses. Finally, she gathered her bravery, coiled around his waist, echoing his every touch. She lost sense of where they were, time became a fluid idea.

"Will?" Richard's voice popped the bubble surrounding them.

There was a beat of silence. Two. "What do you want, Richard?" Clearly the man holding her was annoyed at the interruption. She was embarrassed to be found necking with this man like she was back in high school again.

"It's time for your speech."

Darcy led her back inside, placing her hand on his elbow. It was very old fashioned action and distinctly at odds with his behavior outside. Without a word, he returned her to their table, held her chair and then pressed a gentle kiss on her shoulder. Only then, did he attend to his uncle and approach the lectern.

Darcy, it turned out, could also have a career as a speech giver. He'd been asked to speak on his Uncle's platform about the role of education in the advancement of technology and he absolutely killed it. When he finished, she found herself standing with the others shocked at how he seemed to electrify the audience. Heck, she was half tempted to vote for Senator Pool and she lived in New York!

*(*

Elizabeth remained at his side for the rest of the evening. After dinner, they socialized. He was reserved when approached one on one, but she made every effort to try to smooth his way, warm up the group that surrounded them. She consciously employed her natural charm, making the men who surrounded him laugh with her teasing. She loved parties and liked to entertain and it showed whenever she was in a social situation. People gravitated to her. Dimly it registered, she was being photographed with him.

When the dancing resumed, Darcy led her away from the others to the center of the dance floor. Like at Jane's wedding, her body moved instinctively with his. His confident moves inflating her expectations of the second half of the night, the main event.

The evening was still early when he pulled her to him, pressing a hot kiss against her neck, "It's time we went home, Elizabeth."

She nodded, rendered speechless.

He led her back to the table so she could say goodbye to his sister while he retrieved her coat. She hugged Georgie and they made plans for lunch earlier in the week. Richard's mother was surrounded by several other first ladies, who evidentially were all part of the same book club. When they group found out about her mother, she was pressed to ask Fanny if she would join them for a book signing in the near future. Her mom's cult following with these middle aged women was quite comical. She exchanged phone numbers with the Senator's wife and then looked about distracted. Darcy should have been back by now. She was anxious to get back on the road and get back to the penthouse. She was practically humming with pent-up tension.

She drifted away from the table toward the coat check area. She recognized one of the presenters from the evening and asked after Darcy. They had seen him. He was out on the patio with his uncle. As she approached the patio doors, they opened. Darcy came to a stop seeing her. He hooked her arm, rushing her bodily toward the coat check. His face was flushed. "It's time to go, Elizabeth. Now."

*(*

Darcy's voice was at her ear. "We're home, Elizabeth." She realized with a start they were back in the underground garage of his penthouse. The passenger door was open and he was kneeling next to her.

"You let me fall asleep." She accused. She had promised to keep him company on the drive back from New Jersey. She stretched feeling recharged from her unplanned nap.

Darcy undid her seatbelt, his hand grazing across her abdomen. "You needed rest for what I have planned." He leaned in, brushed his lips lightly against hers. "You haven't forgotten what we are going to spend the rest of the night doing, have you Elizabeth?"

It was hard to swallow. "I haven't forgotten."

Darcy stood up, held out a hand to help her to her feet. Without a word, he secured the car and then leisurely led her by the hand to the elevator bank. As they waited, she could not but envy him. Nothing about the unconcerned way he looked indicated he was anticipating the night ahead with her. Meanwhile, her heart was an angry hummingbird beating itself against the cage of her ribs demanding to be freed.

The doors opened and he drew her in behind him. As soon as the doors closed, his thumb traced an infinity symbol against her palm. She gasped, a loud sound in the silent car. His attention never wavered from the unyielding metal of the door in front of him, but he said, "There are cameras in here, Elizabeth. But, if you insist on looking at me like you are right now, I am not going to be responsible for what ends up on the security videos."

Warned, she looked away from him. They reached their floor and exited. After opening the door, he pulled her with a little more urgency toward his bedroom. As soon as he shut the bedroom door behind them, he flipped on the lights. She felt a natural curiosity to where he slept and glanced about the room. She'd never invaded this most private of rooms. Her guest room was full of deep cherry wood that harkened to tradition, while this room was ultra modern like its occupant. A wide platform bed was the main object, a walk in closet, a private bath. Everywhere was hues of deep blues and black. Dark. The color of bruises and brooding.

Music began. Instead of the jazz he preferred, he had selected John Legend's _Asylum_. Darcy pulled his tie loose dropping it. He slid out of his suit coat, opening the first button on his shirt. It dawned on her that he was moving in time with the music, slowly divesting himself of his clothing. Her very own strip show. Like in Magic Mike. When he stopped in front of her, he wore nothing but his boxers. He made no move to hide the apparent arousal he felt for her.

The song repeated on a loop. Air was becoming difficult to find.

He reached up and gently slid one of her diamond earrings from her ear, then the other. She turned so he could unclasp the necklace. He was placed them carefully on the flat surface of his chest of drawers.

Of the jewels, she whispered, "I can't accept them, Will. They were your mother's."

"You must know I would never be able to give them to another after seeing them on you."

Elizabeth turned back to face him. His hands deliberately tugged at the bobby pins strategically placed in her hair. Loose it fell in waves at her shoulder. He grunted. Then, his hands were fisted in her hair, before he cupped her face, kissing her roughly. Then, he stopped suddenly, backing away from her.

Elizabeth thought he would strip her as efficiently as he had himself, but instead he reached for her again. Cradled her against his chest. His heartbeat rapid. She felt overwhelmed, caught in a riptide, desired, cherished. His hand slid up her spine to the nape of her neck. She turned into the anticipated kiss, which was slow, sensual. She whimpered at the promise it held.

Suddenly, she was propelled backwards, pressed firmly but gently against the wall of his bedroom. His eyes were wide, his breath no longer unaffected. Both of her hands entwined with his.

"Are you sure this is what you want, Elizabeth? Because I'm not going to be able to stop if we go much further."

He hadn't done anything yet and she felt she was going to turn to dust if he didn't keep his word. "I want you, Will. I think I've always wanted you."

A tremor coursed through his body when he kissed her again. He was as close to losing control as she was. It made her feel so much better to know. The cold air on her exposed skin was a shock as he peeled the strap of her dress downward. She made a sound and he pressed his hot mouth against her bare shoulder. He held her gaze while his other hand went to work on her remaining strap and her dress gave way to the pull of gravity. He went with it, kneeling before her as the garment pooled at her feet.

They were equal now. Only his briefs and her panties separating them from one another. His eyes had turned black as he kissed his way from her knee to her thigh. Her earlier fears about spontaneously combusting returned as his tongue teased the edge of her navy panties. She swayed, pressing an arm out on each side to stop her utter collapse.

He sensed her limits, rising before her regally like a Prince. She was swept her off of her feet, marveling at the weightless feeling before feeling the heavenly cool sheets against her scorched skin. At the edge of the bed, he removed his only piece of clothing. Oh, what Michelangelo could have done with him and a block of marble!

The weight of his entire body hot against hers was enough to make her moan. His kisses were shallow as he moved his hips in a swivel, just enough to brush against her, tantalize. His skin a rugged contrast to hers. Rough, hairy. It served to make her feel infinitely feminine against his ruggedness. She wanted so much. She wanted to know the secrets of his body. She wanted to know how to unlock him.

He growled as if he knew exactly what she was thinking. He prowled over her body, lowering over her, kissing her in a languid way as he moved south along the corridor of her body. As he kissed her inner thigh, he began working her panties down her legs. Done, he admired her toes, kissed her ankle, lapped at her calf, moved higher to her thigh. Parting her legs, he threw one over his shoulder, settling in happily for a good long visit at the apex of her body.

His fingers stroked the manicured patch of hair he found there. "Did you do this for me?"

"Yes." She admitted.

He was pleased. He lapped at her possessively. Searing sensation she had never felt in her entire life rocked up her body as he swirled against her. She was going to die. Her heart was simply going to stop beating.

"You taste like raspberries, Elizabeth. So sweet. So very sweet."

Firmly he held her, the pleasure was unimaginable. Sweat covered her body, her hands twisted in the sheets and she cried out his name as she violently came apart. As she recovered, she realized he was watching her. His face wet about his mouth. His fingers had taken up where his tongue had left off. She felt like a violin in the hands of a master. Unbelievably, the tightening began within her body again.

"I hope you weren't lying to me when you said you liked to orgasm, Elizabeth. One night soon I'm going to spend the entire night doing nothing more than tasting you." His tongue dipped inside of her before he surged up her body not once breaking eye contact with her. "But, not tonight. Tonight, I'm afraid I'm going to be rather selfish."

Elizabeth wanted him selfish. His stiff manhood brushed against her thigh, her pubic, her abdomen. She was not a virgin. Hadn't been for years. But as his teeth nipped at her nipples and his thumb hovered around the entrance to her anus, she realized that she just might not have ever experienced anyone close to the likes of William Darcy.

He nipped at her earlobe, his hot mouth sucking her skin painfully. She knew he'd marked her. "I want you on top of me. I want you to put me inside you and I want you to ride me. Hard. It's all I can think about. Does that sound good to you?"

"Uh-huh." And, it did. So very good. She could take what she wanted and dispense with this unnecessary foreplay.

Rolling off of her, he reached for the drawer of his nightstand. He withdrew several condoms which only made her want him more. Opening one, placing the others on the table, he expertly encased himself. When he was done, he looked at her. If she hadn't already been turned on, the proud look of challenge would have done it for her.

Two could definitely play this game. It was her turn to crawl up his body, rubbing as she went her curves against his muscle. Yes, he was a man, but he had chosen her to be his woman tonight. She was determined not to disappoint. As she settled herself on him, she swiveled her hips in the same way he had. He bucked but she lifted off of him, shaking her head.

"Don't be quite so eager."

He grinned at her. Those lovely dimples she could not resist. His hands came up to her hips and she felt him maneuvering underneath her again. She moved upward thwarting his second attack, sliding her hands down to his, moving them up to her breasts where she wanted to be rubbed.

"Elizabeth." He sounded as if he was in pain. She decided a little pity was in order. Slowly, she lowered herself on him. Just a little, denying him what he most wanted. Once again, his hands lowered trying to guide her, but she put them back where she wanted them. She moved her hips a little more, he hissed. Upward, downward. He was her very own teeter totter. Her favorite ride in the park. Finally, she lowered all the way, pressing him fully inside of her. The feeling was indescribable. Bliss. Tossing her head backwards, she rode him languidly.

His hands moved back to her hips, showing her what he most enjoyed. She picked up his pace, but it was not enough for him. He sat up, she felt his hands underneath her, picking her up as he jutted upward. The feeling was highly erotic and she felt herself edge closer to losing herself in him once more.

Her world tilted. She was on her back and he knelt between her legs. There was no time to prepare herself as he drove into her. The strokes became deeper, his kisses erratic, his sounds of pleasure louder. Watching him throwing off the yoke of control made her tighten against him. His rhythm suddenly caught. His entire body seized, stopping him stiffly above her. A clueless look filled his features and she knew his pleasure had broken him. His gaze no longer contained the heat of passion, but the warmth of something else.

After Darcy withdrew from her, he quickly attended to the disposal of the condom. With a sigh, he laid sprawled on his back next to her looking at the ceiling breathing deeply. Cooling off. She watched him fascinated. His naked beauty. He glanced in her direction and caught her staring. Smiling lazily, he rolled to his side mirroring her. He brushed the tip of her nose with his, buried his fingers into her hair and pressed his sweaty forehead against hers.

"Give me a few minutes," He breathed out heavily. "I'm not done with you, Elizabeth. Nowhere near."

And, he wasn't. Darcy devoted the entire night and the better part of the early morning to the education and worship of her body.


	8. Chapter 8

Okay, before I am lynched, I would like to add that things will unfortunately get a little worse for our couple, but they will get through their issues relatively quickly. I promise :) This is only Part 1 of Chapter 8. I will try to post Part 2 before next week if you guys want.

I am so excited - over 100 reviews :) It was my goal for the entire story.

I still plan on only 11 Chapters so this is more than half way done. I would like to thank you all who are reading for your comments and reviews. They make my day! And, they keep feeding the plot bunnies.

The Doll Chapter 8 Part 1 - Day 25 - 28

On Sunday, Darcy woke up to the feel of her hands on him, exploring the planes of his chest. Noticing he was awake, Elizabeth kissed him gently. He held himself still so she could touch him wherever she wanted. Inquisitive, her hand drifted underneath the sheet laying claim to more real estate. Her hands rubbed all the way down his legs until she laid a palm flat on the sole of his foot.

"My what big feet you have, Mr. Darcy." Her voice still held a hint of sleep. It was sexy. "You know what they say it means when a man has big feet." She kissed the top of his toes.

He shook his head. He knew what she wanted him to say, but he would not make it so easy for her.

"It means you have to wear big socks. And, you're supposed to be some sort of genius." It was a silly joke, but the way she delivered it. So serious, made him laugh.

Elizabeth's hands returned to their exploring. Along his legs, across his trunk. Finally, she kneeled between his legs as her hands drifted up his thighs, as if memorizing the feel of him. Never had a woman touched him in such a way. Looked at him with such longing. It made him feel hot and cold. Molten lava and ice. Extreme.

Finally, she stopped. She sat butt on her ankles and when she was sure he was watching her, lifted her nightgown off, baring herself to him. She said nothing. She didn't have to. He moved. They kissed. He cupped her face in his hands, his turn to memorize. She pulled back from him, lowering her gaze to his manhood. The lust in her look. He tried to prepare himself for a more centralized examination of his body, but it was impossible not to harden in anticipation of her mouth's arrival. She licked him as if she were tasting something exotic, something she wanted to savor. _She wanted to savor him! _ This overwhelmingness he felt when she was with him. The way his body flared to life, all the cells in his body envied the skin that got to touch her.

Darcy held her hair, but he did not want to influence the direction of her movement. This was what she wanted to do. A gift she gave to him. Freely. Every time she looked at him in that knowing way as if she could see straight into his soul, as she continued sucking on him. Each pull of her mouth, edging him closer. Deep. Slow. Quick. Shallow. Each sensation was new because it was her. When he could stand no more, he pulled her up from him. Gently, he guided her to her back, reached for a condom.

Every time they were together, Darcy had to be vigilant. They had to be careful. The pill was not effective every time. He never wanted children. He knew his children would be cold, distant, unfeeling. Like him. It was hard enough to raise Georgie, a child of expression and wonder. He had never considered having a baby of his own. Fruit of his loins. While the rational part of him insisted he wear a condom for added protection, there was a part of him who longed to have no barrier between them. To feel her as man was intended to feel the woman of his heart. Bare. Close. The thought of her with child did something else to him. Her abdomen swollen. The heartbeat of her child underneath her skin. The realization that she would be brought to full bloom of pregnancy by another man's seed plagued him.

It could never be him, but it should never be another.

Jealously, Darcy felt he was the only one who should see her this way - her mouth parted, her face pink, her eyes brightened by their exercise, her body so warm, naked splayed before him. His ears should be the only ones to hear the breathless way she said his name. Like a prayer. He should be the only man who knew she was ticklish on the bottom of her feet, who knew she had an erotic spot underneath her knees that drove her wild, or that he had claimed the patch of skin right below her left ear as his own. He had placed a small hickey there to appease a dark part of himself that demand he mark her. Claim her.

The act was different with her. Almost sacred. She demanded reverence. She was special. Like a rare flower. Moving art. A poem that could represent a generation. The yearning something in him was appeased when they were together. Completed by her. They communicated here, in bed together, talking, whispering. There was no need to hurry. He found her so fascinating. So very fascinating. Her words, her wit. Her laughter. His favorite sound in the entire world.

Sunday, they had whiled the morning and then the afternoon hours away discovering what she liked, what she _really_ liked, and what she _really, really_ liked him to do to her. His hands memorized the curves of her until his body, an annoyingly fragile vessel, shattered repeatedly under the strain of receiving and giving such pleasure.

It was cruel that he only knew such bliss for such a short time. He'd only been permitted into Heaven for not even two days before being expelled into a Hell of his own construct. He could recall with clarity the moment it happened.

It was Monday. A horrible enough prospect loamed of climbing from her body to face the responsibilities and demands of the work week. But, then, Elizabeth stretched against him. Her body brushing his in that now familiar way. The innocent look she gave him too innocent to be believable. The saucy smile as her hand located him under the comforter. He was on his side, leaning on his elbow, watching her. Work, leaving their bed could be put off a little while longer.

"I love the way you touch me, Elizabeth." Darcy shut his eyes. He was going to reveal what was weighing on him. Confess the truth of his heart months in the making. He could no longer keep it bottled in. Like a good bottle of wine who wanted to be freed of its cork. Shared.

"That is really good news because I love touching you, Will." Her hand was curling around him, rubbing him. He was so close to telling her. Then, he'd show her. _I love you, Elizabeth. _She kissed his neck, traced his ear with her tongue. "I have to say, Will, this is the best job I've ever had."

Reality crashed his dreams. Like a castle built on sand, her reminding words pulverized his heart under an avalanche of waves. She was doing this for the money. He was a job. Sex was the ultimate trial. Xy. He hadn't thought of Xy or that project in days. He'd fooled himself completely. Mixing too much of his fantasy with his reality, diluting the real world. Wouldn't Uncle Paul and Richard have a good laugh?

Darcy's heart was dying in his chest, but he found a way to speak around his shock. "It's getting late, Elizabeth. I'm going to be late if I don't get ready now." He pulled himself from her touch, hating the way his body literally rejected the idea of being removed from her. He made his way out of the covers which seemed to conspire to bind him to the bed, he drug his heavy heart across the carpet like a tossed over anchor, he tried to drown the desire for her in a cold shower. He felt the pain searing its way to his toes. He dressed on auto pilot. Joined her in the kitchen in a daze. His suffering did not even rate as she blissfully went about her day. About her routine, playing her part so perfectly.

"No, mom, I'm sorry to disappoint you, but he is not a billionaire. Yes, I'm sure." She rolled her eyes at him, which normally would have amused him, but not today. Today, the fact she was distracted grated on him. He wanted her focus. He wanted her attention completely on him. She put a cup of coffee in front of him. It would be exactly how he took it. Light cream, heavy sugar. He wanted her to get it wrong.

"I know they're Republican." She said it like it was a disease. "And, that's truly unfortunate because Matlida seems to be a big fan of yours. She's Senator Pool's wife. I guess I'll have to tell her that you aren't interested in a reading for her and her friends." A glass of freshly squeezed orange juice along with his paper joined his coffee. "Yes. Evidentially, she is part of some book club of New Jersey socialites and they just read your newest book. Absolutely loved it from the way they all were talking. They wanted you to give them a private reading, but I'll simply let her know you aren't interested."

She busied herself at the stove. "No, mom. It is probably safe to assume that Senator Pool's wife is also a Republican." She sighed. "No, I won't ask Will. Of course, mom, I won't be hasty. I can give you her number so you can decide for yourself. I'll text it to you." Elizabeth was grinning at him, making a crazy symbol by her ear. Finally, she held her cell between her shoulder and ear as she put his plate in front of him. Turkey bacon, scrambled egg whites and whole wheat toast with strawberry jam. His absolute favorite breakfast. It irritated him that on this day, of all days, she had made it for him.

She dropped another set of bread in the toaster. "No, mom. No, I'm not going to try my best to 'secure him.' What's that sound? I'm making breakfast. It is morning mom, it is what normal people do." She sighed again shaking her head and looking heavenward. "I am well aware that you think that a way to a man's heart is not through his stomach - No, I don't need you to demonstrate the proper way to give a man a blow job. You were quite explicit when I was in high school. I don't need another lesson."

Her toast popped up and he watched as she smeared butter on both pieces. Added a small touch of honey. Her favorite breakfast. She gave him a long suffering look. "I've got to go, mom. Will wants me to put on a latex suit and clean his kitchen. I'll talk to you later."

"Sorry about that, she just gets so carried away sometimes. It is like trying to stop a freight train with a toothpick! I can only take so much of it before my morning coffee." Crunching her toast loudly, she pulled her legs up to her chest. "Fair warning. You might have to go to dinner at my parent's in the near future. I'll try to spare you the ordeal, but she saw pictures of us from your Uncle's event and is really in a mood that she was 'kept from the truth.'"

Darcy nodded. He did not comment. He did not want to have dinner with her family. He did not want to be amused by the phone call he just over heard. He already knew her family was a nightmare. Totally unsuitable. There was her mother, an outlandish woman who talked loudly at the three functions they had ever attended together for Jane & Charles' wedding. There was the father. A man who one would believe would have been beaten down by having such a wife. Though, Darcy had to concede, Mr. Bennet did not seem trodden on. He seemed happy.

There was Jane. As much as he liked the woman, and he did, she was entirely too amiable. She was too easily led, convinced. He liked a challenge. His eyes brushed over Elizabeth, who was glaring at her own cup of coffee muttering about her meddling mother. The younger sisters pure teenage silliness.

Darcy couldn't sit here. He couldn't sit here next to her and pretend she hadn't broken his heart. He put down the paper, pushing back from the table. That got her attention.

"You didn't eat your breakfast."

"I'm not hungry this morning."

"But, you usually like bacon and eggs." She looked amused. "Did you misplace your glasses again? Do you want me to find them for you?"

Was he really so comical? "No, I don't need them this morning." He folded the paper. "I don't have time to read it anyway this morning. You made me late."

She grinned that smile that she wore in bed. "Are you really complaining?" He stood without responding which caused her to frown. She touched his hand with hers. "Hey, I'm sorry. I didn't realize that you had something important this morning. I'm sorry I got carried away. I couldn't help myself. Do you want me to write your boss a note?" He glanced about wanting desperately to get away. She frowned. "You didn't hear something that upset you when I was on the phone with my mom. You've met her. You know how she is. Borderline insane but really harmless. Truly. I was only joking about that stuff with the latex suit." 

"I just would like some peace and quiet." He said, not looking at her. He returned to his bedroom to get his suit jacket, found his own keys and cell phone. After some time searching, he even found his own glasses. She was waiting at the door with his lunch and his thermos. "You don't have to treat me like I'm a child you have to see off to school every morning, Elizabeth."

Confusion flooded her lovely face. Darcy retrieved her offerings and ducked through the door. As he settled into the elevator he realized it was the first time since she'd moved in and they started playing house together that she had not given him a kiss. He shut his eyes. He was a thousand kinds of fool!

His driver was waiting when he exited the building and his cell phone sprang to life. He checked the screen and put the call on ignore. He did not want to talk to Richard or Uncle Paul any time in the foreseeable future.

Darcy realized he was being sharp with almost everyone who came into his sphere. Technicians, valued colleagues, even Mrs. Reynolds could not please him. He tried to concentrate on the work at hand, but nothing could satisfactorily hold his . It was going to be a long night. Final touches on the drones had to be done before they could be shipped. The deadline loomed. Friday noon in order to meet the deadline. The DARPA field would go from fifteen to ten. After so many missteps, he owed it to his team to get this right.

It was dark when he left the lab with the others. Darcy was perfectly aware that it was well passed dinner time. The others on his team that were either married or involved had all called their loved ones to let them know they were going to be late, but he had deliberately not called. When he arrived home, he knew she'd probably already turned in for bed. The thought made him angry. She could sleep. She could go about her day as if nothing had changed. As if his world was not collapsing around him.

But, Elizabeth wasn't asleep. She was up and moping the kitchen floor. It galled him to see her cleaning as if she were his maid. Her face litS when she saw him. She immediately gave up her endeavor, walked carefully toward him, trying to avoid the wet patches on the floor. She took his lunch box and thermos asking him after his day. He made some type of comment. He noticed then the cookie jars on the counter. They were brown jug shapes with the words HIS and HERS on them in orange letters.

She followed his gaze. "I found them today in Soho. Aren't they great?" She giggled, opening HIS jar to reveal cookies. They'd be his favorite. Chocolate chip. He didn't even need to look. He turned away from her. He had to have space from her.

She followed him. "You didn't call me all day today. I made dinner and you -"

"I was too busy to call you, is that alright? Sometimes, I'm going to be too busy to call you. You'll have to get use to it." He'd hurt her. He could tell at the way she withdrew into herself. "I'm sorry, the DARPA deadline is coming up on Friday." He was all alone. He had no one to ask for advice. He had no one to unburden his heart.

"It's alright, Will. I know how hard you are working." She put her arms around his waist, a little hesitant, then her smile brightened, "Why don't I pour you a drink and you can relax? I'll reheat your dinner. Then, you can tell me about your day. Maybe I can help?"

"I'm beat." He unwound her hands from his waist. "I'm just going to take a shower and then turn in."

She waggled her eyebrows, playfully. "Do you want some company? I can wash your back for you."

The hopeful look on her face was like salt in his wounds. _This is the best job I've ever had._ "Not tonight, Elizabeth." He could not stand the confusion that filled her lovely eyes. He brushed his lips against her forehead. "I need to be alone tonight. If you don't mind?"

"No, of course, I don't mind." Again, the rebound played out on her face. The care for him, the concern moving like a wave through her. Ebbing and flowing as she tried to gauge what she thought he needed. As she was trying to cycle through her arsenal to find a weapon to get past his shield. It terrified him that she tried so hard to get close to him.


	9. Chapter 8 Part 2

**Some of you dear readers saw it coming!**

The Doll Chapter 8 Part 2 - Day 29 - 31

On Thursday, Elizabeth decided to drop in at her apartment after Darcy left for work. She needed some familiarity after another awkward morning. After three days, she was starting to feel as if he was deliberately trying to push her away. He felt closed off, determined to put distance between them. He was normally reserved. And, she couldn't expect him to be as attentive to her as he had been on their weekend. He had to go back to work. The DARPA Deadline was approaching. She tried to be patient. She tried to be understanding. After all, hadn't Georgie told her that when her brother was consumed with a project that he sometimes became moody? Darcy did moodiness like he did everything he put his mind to. Well. Sighing, she emptied her mailbox and listened to Mrs. Morgan who updated her on all the gossip of their building. It felt good to have someone else carrying the weight of a conversation and she found herself lingering longer than her usual wont with her septuagenarian neighbor.

Eventually she climbed the two flights of stairs and opened the door to her own apartment. It was surreal being here. The last time she had spent any real time here was when she had picked up some cooking essentials the day she moved in with Darcy. Sweat beaded on her forehead. Since New York was enjoying one of is hottest summers on record, her existence this summer would have been miserable indeed. She sent up a silent thank you that Darcy's central air worked so well. It made it much more comfortable sleeping. Especially when you didn't sleep alone.

Only she had been. Sleeping alone. The last three nights she had stared at the door to her bedroom wishing the knob would turn. Wishing he would slide into the bed and share his body with her. She was in serious withdrawal. He was that good!

Ever since Darcy had returned to work on Monday, unless you counted a few uninspired kisses to her temple, he hadn't touched her at all. He had become engrossed in all things DARPA. After their ambitious pace starting Saturday night and lasting until Monday morning, she was a little confused by his complete and abrupt 180 with regards to physical contact. From what he said the night of his offer to her, she had expected more. Maybe, he was one of those guys. The ones who believed sex and weekends went together. The weekend was coming up and she so hoped he would along with it. She missed him and the intimacy she found in his bed. Darcy, the lover, was an entirely different man than Darcy the scientist.

Elizabeth's mind returned to their sultry Sunday. He had not let her out of his bed except to shower and eat. And, what a shower. She grinned just thinking about it. He insisted she let him wash her hair. After he massaged her scalp with strong, gentle fingers and rinsed the shampoo and conditioner, he turned those hands on the rest of her body, cleaning her rather thoroughly. It had been the thoughtful attention he paid to her, and not simply his hands that worked on her, that made her feel like a pampered Princess.

Could anyone really blame her for her preoccupation?

No man had ever looked at her the way he did. As if he was trying to memorize her. It made her feel special to have the regard of such a serious man. Elizabeth had no idea what she had done to make him desire her and part of her worried that she'd be equally clueless when she did something to cause him to quit. She tried once more to ignore the nagging feeling she might have already lost his regard. It had just been a bad few days, she told herself. That's all.

Darcy wouldn't all of a sudden not want her anymore. Right? _Unless, he'd gotten what he wanted_. After all, he had projected sixty days to get where they had. She'd never been such an overachiever. Should she have played a bit harder to catch? Perhaps. And, her behavior this weekend? She had acted like some sort of a sex addict. Never had she been so bold or vocal about what she wanted. Just thinking about it now made her blush. She shut her mind to such unproductive thoughts. You couldn't very well put the milk back in the cow after giving it away.

This was Darcy. If he wanted her to leave, he would have bluntly told her to pack her things. He wouldn't have thought twice about it. She could be sure of it. After all, he didn't always seem to understand the relationship between his words and other people's feelings. No, if he wanted to cancel their contract, he would just have done it. Maybe, this was just the way he was. She was just being unnaturally insecure and sensitive with his hot and cold behavior because it was all new to her. Maybe after six or seven more months, she would look back and be use to the quirks of his unique personality. Only, she didn't have six or seven months. She had exactly sixty days left. And, she found herself feeling almost hostile, he was wasting them.

Wiping at her moist forehead, Elizabeth decided to go about her errands. She watered her few remaining plants and she considered taking them with her. However, she rejected the idea almost immediately. They would just be more items that she would have to move back here in two months. One thing was clear. With as many times as he talked about it in the last few days, she knew he was aware of when their contract was to end. Like with the stove, there were so many things he wanted her to take with her when she left him. The cookie jars. The lamp she bought in the living room that fit perfectly over the couch so he could read there without straining his eyes. The towels she bought that matched the deep navy of his bathroom perfectly. Towels he had wrapped her in carefully after they had their shower. The new microwave when she couldn't stand to look at the stains in the old one. At the rate she was going, she'd have to rent a U-Haul to move back here. She glanced about her living room. Wherever would she put it all? Would she even want the items and their memories?

Elizabeth went to her closet, looking through the limited selection for something that he may not have seen her in yet. She knew he wouldn't care if she went shopping, but she did not feel right spending his money on something that would only give her enjoyment. She settled on a few summer dresses, a few bikinis and short sets.

Sighing heavily, she went through her mail. The bills she sat in a stack, then turned her attention to her other correspondence. Most of it which was junk mail that was quickly discarded. However, one piece did stand out. A thick manila envelope address to one Ms. Elizabeth Bennet from The New York Realty Group.

Her building was being sold. Again. Real estate in New York must be booming. Every six months or so, a new owner purchased her building. Her rent was going to go up and the quality of service was going to go down. Worse, her lease expired in August. The new owners were going to have her over a barrel. Soon, very soon, she was going to have to spend time looking for another apartment. Which meant she'd need to find employment. Without a job, there would not be many perspective landlords willing to rent to her. As it was, it was going to be difficult with just being newly employed.

That reminded her. Elizabeth accessed her bank account from her cell. As contractually promised, her first installment had been direct deposited. The healthy state of her checking account was a shock. She'd never had so much money at her disposal. She wanted to splurge on something decadent and unnecessary. She was tempted to call all of her creditors and pay off everyone she owed. However, she resisted doing so. If she was careful and budgeted, she could coast for quite a while. Over a year. Easy. Even if she had to move somewhere else. Paying a whole years rent in one lump sum might just be the incentive she needed to get a good apartment. She logged out of her account.

At the heart of it, it felt wrong to take money from Darcy.

Shaking herself, Elizabeth decided she would accept his generosity. Not worrying about rent, student loan payments and having money for incidentals was a relief. And, someday, she might even be in a position to repay the money to him. She would just look at this infusion of cash as a loan. The future payouts would not be necessary. She would not accept any more of his money. Especially now. Now that they were lovers. Continuing to accept money from him would only make her feel like a prostitute. She didn't want to fight about it so she decided she'd just wait until their little experiment concluded. She'd simply return the last two payments to him then.

Oh, why had she agreed to the infernal contract?

Elizabeth knew why. She was curious about him. She'd always been. That's why his every slight was blown way out of proportion. Had it really been necessary to join Jane as an act of solidarity every Monday night? No. As much as she had claimed he annoyed her, she could have simply stopped going at any time. It wasn't like Jane would have been upset with her. Jane was the most understanding creature on the planet.

Did she have to go out of her way to look nice? Make meals? No, she wanted him to regret his words that first meeting. She wanted him to eat his heart out with a spoon. Regret his words. She wanted him to look at her and think of anything but the damnable word TOLERABLE.

A month ago, Elizabeth had been bored, melancholic. No job. No boyfriend. No prospects for either. Her mother's incessant, _but well meant_, reminder of both failings. In such a mood, William Darcy and his freaky sex experiment didn't sound half so bad. The kiss to convince her hadn't hurt either.

Elizabeth was very aware she was breaking the rules. He had warned her. He had told her that he hadn't wanted to mislead her. He had not wanted her developing feelings for him. What had he called it? Yes, she smile, he didn't want her to go developing romantic notions about him. He had wanted to make sure that she never developed an attachment to him. The money was for her. A firm reminder. So, she wouldn't. She laid her cell phone on the table and stared at it. She'd wish she had heeded his warning. It would have made this week a lot easier to handle, but she could not lie to herself. She had started feeling an attachment to him. Of the most romantic kind. It felt like she was falling. Falling in love. And, it felt so very real.

*(*

Trying not to drop the food carriers she held, Elizabeth explained with strained politeness for the fourth time to the ill humored security guard, "I promise if you tell Will that Lizzy is here, he'll want to see me." She strongly suspected the sombrero and peasant dress she had worn out of whimsy was hurting her credibility with the stern faced man.

Truly, the large muscular man behind the security desk did not seemed convinced. He pulled out a list from under his desk, consulted it carefully, then told her that no one by the name Lizzy was on it. Seriously! She put down the heaviest of carriers and fished out her phone. The call went straight to voicemail. Oh, this was so frustrating! The food she had slaved over for the better part of two hours was going to go to waste.

Elizabeth left her apartment and went back to the penthouse. She paid her bills online, did some yoga, washed two loads of laundry, picked up his dry cleaning, chatted with Steve, she talked with her mother, Charlotte and Jane. Returning to the penthouse, there were still hours before dinner. Knowing that it was the last night to do final preparations for DARPA, she knew without needing to be told that Darcy would not be joining her.

Wondering into the kitchen, Elizabeth was not excited at all at the prospect of making another dinner she'd be eating alone. Maybe, she should just go out? But, sitting alone in a crowded restaurant did not appeal either. Then, an idea hit her! Since he couldn't come home to her for dinner, she could always take dinner to him. In fact, she could make his entire team dinner. An incentive for their final push.

Excited, she pulled out a notepad she kept in the kitchen to jot notes. What to make? She tapped her eraser several times. Mexican. Everyone like Mexican. If she organized it right, they could make them each to their own specific taste. Like their very own Chipotle.

Now, the Neanderthal behind the desk was ruining her surprise. He was treating her as if she was trying to sneak into Fort Knox and steal all the precious gold held there. Did she look like such a threat?

"Really, miss. You need to leave or I will have to physically escort you from the premises.

Mr. Darcy is an extremely important man. If you are not on the list, he doesn't have time for you." The man was unmovable on this point. "Please, m'am. Make this easier on both of us and simply leave."

Defeated, she picked up her belongings and started back the way she came. She heard her name in a friendly voice.

"Mrs. Reynolds! Oh, it is good to see you. Can you tell him" Elizabeth looked at the security guard. "that Will would be okay with me going inside? He's acting as if I come bearing the black plague and not food."

Darcy's secretary turned to the security guard giving him a withering look, "Tom, Lizzy is on the visitor list." The man consulted the list again drawing another blank. The older woman sighed. "It's under Elizabeth Bennet. For God's sake, she's his girlfriend, Tom! Do you have any idea what Mr. Darcy would do if he found out about this?"

Elizabeth had to admit it was interesting to see how quickly Neanderthal Tom's behavior changed toward her. He literally tripped over himself to apologize for her earlier treatment. She told him not to worry about it. She was aggravated, but realized the man was simply doing his job. After all, if she was really Darcy's girlfriend, she would have liked the fact he took the role so seriously. She could not find fault with that and told him so. He smiled at her understanding.

Mrs. Reynolds took one of her carriers from her. "What is all of this?"

"Will and his team have been working so hard. I thought I would bring them all dinner."

Mrs. Reynolds scanned her badge on the elevator door. "You are very good to him, Elizabeth. The entire team has been putting in long hours. I am sure they will appreciate this treat. It does smell wonderful."

"Why don't you join us? There is plenty."

The older woman smiled, "No, I have dinner with my husband every night. It is the one thing he insists on."

As they exited the elevator, they went toward doors at the end of a long hallway. There was another scanner there but instead of making use of it, Mrs. Reynolds picked up the phone. She didn't have enough clout to go into the lab?

"Hi, Malcolm. Can you let Will know that Ms. Bennet is here to see him? She has come bearing gifts." She frowned. "Okay, I see. Well, could you come and open the door for her. Send someone up to the circuitry room to let him know. I'm sure he won't mind being interrupted if he knows it is her."

Malcolm turned out to be a pimply faced, ginger haired, lanky man child who looked as if he had just started shaving. Elizabeth strongly suspected he was not even old enough to vote yet. He opened the door and just stared at her as if he was stuck. Yes, she should have probably rethought the sombrero.

"Can you help me?" She asked as he continued to stare.

"Of course. Of course." Malcolm snapped to life, taking one of the carriers in each of his hands apologizing. She thanked him as she flexed her fingers. Blood was returning to them. Mrs. Reynolds told her goodnight then headed back the way they came. The young scientist led her through a traditional lab that reminded her strongly of her high school Chemistry class. Another hallway with doors led off in opposite directions. His laboratory was expansive. It appeared to span the entire breadth of the building. So many doors, along so many corridors. She felt like Alice entering Wonderland.

Malcolm brought her to a small kitchen and then he disappeared. Left to her own devices, Elizabeth wiped down the counter space before she setup the meal she prepared. She tried to think of any possibilities bringing chicken, pork, steak, rice and beans. She arranged ramekins to keep the food heated. The traditional burrito toppings were laid out on the opposite counter. Tomatoes, onions, green peppers, cheese, salsa, corn, sour cream. For desert, she even made mini-churros and flan. She fretted suddenly hoping she had thought of something each member of the team would like. Not knowing them personally made the job very difficult.

When she looked up, Darcy was standing in the doorway observing her.

"Surprise!" She said happily. He didn't look surprised. He just stared at her. His silence made her nervous. "Since you weren't going to come home for dinner, I thought I'd bring dinner to you."

"We have a lot of work to do, Elizabeth. It's already going to be a late night." He checked his watch, glanced toward the doorway he had come through. "Do you know what a distraction your presence here is going to be to the team?"

But, she'd been on the list! She wanted to say, but she didn't. This was not certainly the reception she was expecting. Elizabeth hadn't realized until that exact moment how she'd pinned her hopes on his being pleased to see her. Pleased she'd gone to all the trouble. She'd had fantasies. He'd introduce her to his team. They'd eat together. They'd beg her to stay, but she'd leave knowing they had important work to do. He'd come home letting her know how proud he was to have someone like her as . . . . as his sex doll muse.

"Well," she turned suddenly feeling the weight of not being welcomed, "I'll just go then. I was never my intention to be a distraction."

Elizabeth wiped her hands on a napkin and picked up her purse. There was no way she was going to carry the food she brought back out with her in front of Neanderthal Tom. Not after the way Mrs. Reynolds had taken him to task. Darcy could just throw all the food away if he didn't want to eat it. She sincerely hoped that not all those on the visitor's list got treated this way.

Without a word, Elizabeth squeezed past Darcy and turned back out of the kitchen. Malcolm was talking excitedly about real food as he preceded several other white coated scientists down the hallway. It was like a scene from Dawn of the Dead. There were six in all shuffling toward the kitchen to the aroma of food. Several introduced themselves, but it was clear that they were more interested in eating than greeting her. She couldn't help it. She smiled. At least someone appreciated her efforts.

One of the men who had Cyclopes on his coat winked at her. "Thanks for the grub. It smells wonderful."

"I hope you enjoy it."

Another with Patches on his coat, said, "You aren't going to eat with us?"

Darcy frowned from his spot between the kitchen and the hallway. Yes, the distraction was leaving the building. "No, I have another pressing engagement."

Turning again, she collided with someone else in a white coat and fell smack on her butt. Her sombrero fell back like a cowboy hat and she looked up. A plain, blonde-haired woman stood over her looking down bemused. Elizabeth knew it was sexist but she had not considered that there would be women in his group. A strong, feminine hand reached out to her, "Are you alright, little one?"

"Yes." She accepted the help of the kind woman and retook her feet.

"You must be Will's Elizabeth." The woman's lips curled. The hand pumped hers. "I'm Dr. Palmer. Dr. Cheryl Palmer." The blonde's clear blue eyes searched her face. "It is a pleasure to finally meet you in the flesh."

Cheryl? This was Cheryl? What the hell did 'in the flesh' mean?

The blonde's gaze lowered taking in her peasant gown then returned to her eyes. A smile curved the woman's lips. "You're right, Will. Her eyes are something special. None of Malcolm's samples come close."

Revulsion went through her. It wasn't bad enough that Cheryl worked with him, but Cheryl was on the team that was working on Xy? Malcolm too?

"Will, I have completed the circuitry protocols and I believe I have located the source of the electrical abnormality we were experiencing. We should begin working on it immediately after dinner."

Without a word, Elizabeth made the trip back through the lab with steady legs. She opened the door into the hallway and called the elevator. She felt like a fool. An utter fool! What a joke! All those late nights? She'd never considered looking at his cell phone to check HIS messages! His reaction to Vince now seemed so hypocritical. No wonder he hadn't touched her all week. Cheryl had a two year head start on what he liked. She could find solutions to electrical abnormalities. In the span of the minute it took to go from the kitchen to the elevator, the memories of the weekend they shared took on an entirely different connotation.

"Elizabeth." She ignored him, and punched the call button again. There had to be a flight of stairs she could scale somewhere. "It's not what it looks like."

_Of course not!_

He stood next to her as if they were companionably waiting for the same elevator. "You knew she was a scientist. I never told you that I didn't work with her."

No, he hadn't. She could not talk. If she opened her mouth, she honestly thought she was going to sob. She was not going to give him the satisfaction. She just wanted to run somewhere and hide. She was so dumb! She said nothing, hitting the button again.

Darcy stepped in front of her facing her then, tried to pull her into a hug. She stepped away from him. How much had he shared with his frigid doctor? Elizabeth shut her eyes. She'd done some really stupid things in her life, but never on such a grand scale. She couldn't necessarily be mad at him for it. He had warned her. She'd been the one to suggest they start having sex.

"Cheryl and I ran our course. We haven't been together in nearly a year." The doors finally opened and she walked around him to enter the much anticipated car only to start her button pushing again. He spread his arms along the opening. "She is the best I have in micro-circuitry."

"I'm sure she's the best at quite a lot of things." She was not going to be petty.

He dropped his arm. "Elizabeth, there is nothing for you to be mad about. Really, honey, there isn't."

No? She crossed her arms, "Really? How'd you feel if you went to my work and found Vince was working with me?"

"That's preposterous. I couldn't go to your place of employment and find him there. You don't have a job." The doors began to close and he turned to squeeze through the space. "Shit! That didn't come out right, Elizabeth. You know - you know I didn't mean that the way it came out."

The door shut trapping them both. As soon as they were alone, confined, he attempted to put his arms around her again, but she pushed her way free from him. She looked straight ahead. In a low voice, she said, "Don't touch me!"

"Be reasonable. Cheryl and I work together. Nothing more."

Elizabeth could be reasonable. He'd never seen anyone who could do reasonable like she did. He could be sure she was not going to make a scene. She just needed to be left alone. The elevator stopped and she got out in the parking garage. She made a bee line for her car.

"Elizabeth, say something."

That did it. "You want me to say something. Fine. I think it very odd that you omitted the fact you work with her. That she was helping you on Xy? That you see the woman you dated and loved for two years every day."

His attention snapped to her face. "I never told you I loved, Cheryl."

It was clear to her that Darcy had never respected her even though he told her at his uncle's benefit he did. He had said what he needed to get into her pants. Now, it was clear he believed her so gullible she'd fall for any line he cast. He followed her. How she wished he would just go away.

"When I was with Cheryl," he looked as if he was giving a lecture in a class somewhere and that the subject matter bored him. He was walking backwards trying to stay in front of her. "I didn't even know I was capable of loving anyone. We had joint interests. We had similar upbringings, life experiences, and I thought that was enough to sustain a relationship. But, neither of us were in love. You have to believe me. In fact, it was more of a business arrangement - "

"Oh, another business arrangement with another woman?" Where the hell had she parked? Timbuktu? She swung around to face him. "Actually, how stupid do you honestly think I am?"

"Elizabeth, I don't think you are stupid. I think you are one of the smartest women - "

"Oh, stop! Just stop with the insincere flattery! It makes me feel worse." She felt dirty. Small. "Just promise me Will that you were always as careful with her as you were with me this weekend. That I don't have to worry about some STD."

His face turned red. "You are being ridiculous. You will stop this at once."

"Or, what, Will?" She felt a little manic. "Will you fire me? Kick me out?"

"Okay, you're upset. I understand. No, I don't want you to move out, Elizabeth." He glanced about. The parking garage was empty. There was not a soul around. Yet, he lowered his voice. "I told you I haven't been with anyone other than you for months. And, I haven't. Why would I lie to you about something like that?"

"I can't think of a single reason a guy would lie to a woman to get her into bed. Not a single solitary one." She jerked open her driver's door. Suddenly, it occurred to her. "Did they all get a kick out of speeding up your timeline? Oh, God, no wonder you thought I'd be a distraction. Obviously, they know about me and Xy."

"You've got this completely wrong. No one knows about _our contract _unless you've told them. As far as Xy, part of the team you met today was working on her. Was, Elizabeth. I - we- " He put a hand on her door, stopping her from opening it all the way, preventing her escape. "Please come back inside. We'll go upstairs and talk in private in my office."

She smiled, sweetly. "Do you think Cheryl would want to join us? Maybe she could hold the video camera? Does she like to watch or participate?"

Darcy looked as if she had struck him. He removed his hand and she took advantage of her opening, quickly sliding behind the wheel. He recovered before she could complete her escape, grabbing the door handle preventing her from shutting the door. "Don't leave like this, Elizabeth. You shouldn't be driving when you are upset. I'll worry about you."

"Worry? About me?" That earned him a loud, throaty laugh. "You don't care one jot about me. Just let me go, Will. Please." He dropped his hand and she turned to him. "You know, it's funny, I don't even know why I'm so upset. I brought this all on myself. I did this to myself. I should never have come here."

"Elizabeth, don't do this." He pocketed his hands. "If you don't want to go back inside, let me go back and tell my team I have to leave. I'll drive us home. We'll sort this out. I know we can sort this out."

Sort this out? Her broken heart was like a bell that had already been rung. It couldn't be undone. Something stilled within here. Crystallized. There was no need for them to both be miserable. "No, you're right where you belong, Will. You have work to do. A deadline to keep."

Elizabeth shut her door, put her car in gear and drove out of the parking garage. She didn't look back. Not once. Her cell phone started ringing before she made it to the exit. She didn't need to look to know it was him. She drove about aimlessly for a long time. When she was tired, she pulled into a gas station and pondered her next move. She didn't want to go to the penthouse and she sure as hell didn't want to be alone. She'd had enough of being alone.

Her cell phone rang again. The constant ringing was rather distracting. She didn't know why Darcy was even bothering. He had more important things to do than call her all the time. Hadn't he told her that very thing just a few days ago?

Then, inspiration struck. Elizabeth knew someone that would be glad to see her and make her feel better about herself. Someone who would not consider it a chore to spend the night with her.


	10. Chapter 9 Part 1

Thanks so much for the comments and the conjectures! Boy, you all have no faith! Really, you are no better than Darcy!

I am not completely finished with Chapter 9, but some of you made me worry with your comments that you felt it was too angsty. Not my intention :) Part 2 is from his POV and I am struggling with it. I hope to post that over the weekend - MAYBE :)

The Doll Chapter 9 Part 1 Day 31-33

"Lizzy, Lizzy, Lizzy!" Elizabeth felt her doldrums lift at the sound of her dear friend's voice. "And, just where have you been hiding the last few weeks?"

"You wouldn't believe it, if I told you." She held out the brown paper bag she carried as a peace offering. "I know I should've called before just showing up like this, but I do come bearing gifts. Of the liquor variety."

"You've got my interest." Charlotte peered inside the bag. The lime, triple sec and tequila were dead giveaways. "It must be bad if you're wearing a sombrero before we even get drunk. Let me get the salt. You get to work on the ice."

Elizabeth opened the freezer and pulled out the ice trays. She settled at the kitchen table feeling comforted immediately while Charlotte started the blender. It had been a very good day when in kindergarten she had chosen the desk next to the shy be-speckled girl. At the time, it had been all about geography. Charlotte had been sitting in the much coveted seat next to the room's little playhouse. From that first meeting, over twenty years ago, nothing separated the best friends.

Elizabeth's phone rang again. She checked the caller ID. Him, again. She rolled her eyes. Fifteen messages. Thirty missed calls. When she played back the messages, she was sure one would tell her precisely where she could pick up her belongings. Disgusted, she turned her phone off. It made her feel better. If only he had tried this hard BEFORE she discovered his little blonde haired secret. Hell, one tenth of this effort would have made her deliriously happy just a few hours ago.

At Charlotte's interested look, she told her, "William Darcy can go straight to hell and play hopscotch with the Devil as far as I'm concerned!"

"Hopscotch with the Devil?" Charlotte said salting the rims of their martini glasses. "Poor William Darcy. What has he gone and done now? Called you tolerable again?"

Sticking out her tongue, Elizabeth reconsidered getting drunk. As bad as she felt, she did not want to be hung over. The adoption shower was tomorrow night and she was determined to make it special for her friends. Darcy would probably not let her have her party at his penthouse and she should be giving more thought to where she would move the party than consuming alcoholic beverages! What a disaster! He'd probably have her belongings packed up and ready to move when she finally went home. Well, he could just go sit on an egg right now!

"Will Darcy? Hm." Her friend turned her attention to filling their glasses. "I seem to recall I heard a rumor somewhere about him. Oh, yes. That's right. From my own mother, who heard it from your mother. Fanny seems to think that you're seeing that luscious man!" Talk about understatements. And, her mother never 'under' stated anything. She sighed loudly. Charlotte gave her an appraising look as she sat a margarita in front of Elizabeth. "I know that can't be true, because my bestie would never keep something like that to herself."

She sipped her drink. "Darcy and I have been seeing quite a bit of each other lately."

"And, please tell me that by 'seeing quite a bit of each other' you mean you are shagging that fine man until he can't walk straight."

Elizabeth knew that Charlotte expected an emphatic denial. Because she could not deny the best and worst weeks of her life, she finished her drink in one chug, put her head on the counter holding her glass up high. Screw saying sober! "I need more alcohol."

"Oh, no! No more margaritas until you give me details, young lady. I can't believe you haven't told me about this!" Her friend took her glass and went to the blender. "Spill! I can live vicariously through you so don't scrimp on my account. I'm serious, Lizzy! I want details. How was it?"

"It was actually indescribable." She felt the blush clear to her toes.

Elizabeth knew Charlotte would be naturally curious. They always discussed their relationships with one another. The good, bad and ugly. This was the only time in twenty years she'd kept a secret from her friend. "When did you start seeing him?"

"He came by my place after the reception." Elizabeth felt almost shy talking about Darcy.

"Oh my God! Lizzy that was weeks ago. Oh, you suck for keeping this from me." Charlotte emptied the contents of the blender. "I've been telling you for months he had to be interested in you. Why else would he stare at you so? Then, the wedding. The rest of us might as well not have even been there."

Elizabeth took her refilled glass, determined to drink this one slower than her first. "You don't know what you are talking about."

"Don't I? You can see for yourself. Jeremy gave me the files to edit. Darcy's in quite a bit of the video." That didn't surprise Elizabeth. Charlotte's brother was a wiz with all things photographic. He also had a weakness for tall, dark and delectable men.

_Really, who didn't? _

While Charlotte retrieved her I-Pad, Elizabeth could not deny she was curious. Fast forwarding through a lot of the pre-wedding items for both the groom and the bride, Charlotte stopped on the wedding processional. Coming down the aisle with Darcy, she looked as if she had bitten into a lemon. She remembered then. He had told her she was 'lovely' when he had met her at the back of the church. It struck her now that he had more than likely meant it. She had, of course at the time, thought he was being sarcastic. Every step to the front of the church she had turned the word 'lovely' over in her mind trying to figure out his secret insult. There'd been no secret insult. He meant what he said.

The nuptials were every bit as beautiful as she remembered. Jane and Charles had opted to write their own vows. Jane's were sweet causing her to smile. There was a moment of panic when Charles could not find his notes. Darcy averted disaster by pulling a spare copy from his suit pocket. Elizabeth couldn't help thinking that if it were Darcy's wedding day he would have memorized such an important speech. She shook her head. It was counterproductive to think of his superiority to other men when she was trying to hold onto her anger.

As Charles said something to make those congregated laugh, she realized Darcy was not attending the groom at all. He was staring. At her. In the serious way he had. Video Elizabeth caught him at it and rolled her eyes.

"Turn it off, Char." She didn't want to watch any more.

"No, wait. You have to see your dance with him." Charlotte queued the video to their dance. While she was busy people watching over his shoulder, he wore a look of pure contentment. The dance ended. She made to move away, he stopped her. He'd told her the dance with her was the highlight of his evening and how had she repaid him? She told him off. As she left him alone on the dance floor, Darcy stood watching her go with a pained look on his face.

"He looks like a kid who is watching his favorite balloon float away." Charlotte whispered, caught up in the drama unfolding as if were a Lifetime movie instead of real life. Darcy did.

Elizabeth whispered, "I told him that we didn't need to continue with the Monday night dinners since the wedding was over."

"So, basically, you'd never see him again?" Elizabeth went to deny it, but realized actually that was exactly what she had said. Charlotte laughed. "I guess that explains this." She fast forwarded to the garter toss. Video Elizabeth was in the foreground looking bored, awaiting the outcome. From her vantage she had been unable to see it, but Darcy did grapple with Vince. Even though her mother told her he had, she still couldn't believe it. Vince's brother, Vance, had to help his twin win the battle with the more aggressive Darcy. The camera panned back to her as her mother drug her to the middle of the dance floor, Leggs played loudly in the ballroom. She curled a finger of invitation to Vince. Jeremy swept the room for their reaction, landing on Darcy who was watching the whole scene unfold. He looked like he had at his Uncle's benefit, like he wanted to break something. Charlotte whispered, "No wonder he went to your place. He couldn't bear the thought of losing you."

Elizabeth began to weep. Charlotte abandoned her I-Pad and moved to her side concerned. "Oh, Lizzy, it can't be so bad can it? What happened tonight?"

Skirting details about the contract and Xy, she told her friend what happened at Darcy Electronics. Concluding with, "They dated each other for two years. She works with him. He sees her every day. He never thought I should know that? That, it wasn't a big deal to tell me? I looked like a complete fool."

"Maybe it isn't a big deal to him that he works with her." Charlotte suggested. At Elizabeth's snort, her friend continued, "Really, Lizzy. I mean he is such a serious man that I can't imagine him not being honest with you." Her friend took her hand in hers. "Is your problem you think he's still seeing her behind your back or that you were embarrassed to be seen in that sombrero?"

Elizabeth laughed through her tears. "I don't know."

The contract worked both ways. They both could do whatever they wanted along as they didn't have sex with someone else. He'd probably not think anything about fooling around with another woman. Kiss another woman! Why would he? It wasn't a violation. He wouldn't know how it would hurt her. It shouldn't hurt her. If she had remained unattached without any romantic notions toward him, it wouldn't have.

The thought of him and Madame Curie being close together all day, probably sharing the same microscopes, talking about erotic things like processors and circuitry and sharing long looks over motherboards made her want to vomit. How could she compete with someone who could solve electrical anomalies? It was so unfair. She was already in competition for his attention with Xy. At least with his doll, she felt she had an upper hand because she had a pulse. How could she complete with someone like Dr. Palmer?

Could the relationship with Cheryl really be platonic? Had she gone psycho for no real reason other than her own insecurity? Darcy had tried to stop her from leaving. Heck, he'd even offered to leave his precious team and to take her home so they could discuss it. He'd said they could sort it out. Maybe they could still?

"I don't know, Char! Something is bothering him. He has been acting odd. Even odder than usual. He hasn't been much company at breakfast and we haven't been spending a lot of time together. I mean he's barely touched me all week. And, he's been coming home later and later every night."

"Home?" Charlotte took their empty glasses and refilled them. "Are you living with him too?"

"I - I - " Elizabeth blushed under her friend's scrutiny, then shrugged. "It just sort of happened. I wanted to be with him as much as possible." It struck her. She had really wanted that. She still did want that. As mad as he had made her, as cruelly as she had taken him to task tonight, the truth was that she had not stopped wanting to be with him. It was her insecurity, her fear that she wasn't _enough_ that had made her so upset. The week of his strange avoidance and then finding Dr. Palmer at Darcy Electronics had allowed her overactive imagination to simply filled in the blanks. She hadn't even listened when he tried to explain. She'd reacted very much the same insufferable way he had when he found her with Vince at his Uncle's benefit.

"Why can't I be smart, Char? Why didn't I pay more attention in science class? She has like eight bazillion PhDs. What do I have that he might want over that?"

Charlotte wrapped a comforting arm around her. "I don't know, Lizzy. But the way he was looking at you at the wedding and the way he has looked at you every single time I have been in that man's presence, you have something he wants pretty bad. And, I think, dear friend, you need what he has too. You've been kinda flighty the last year or so. He's the type of man who will ground you." Charlotte pulled away, with real concern on her face. "Oh my God, I just thought of something."

"What?" Elizabeth started, looking up from her drink.

"The world has truly come to an end." Charlotte said with mock seriousness. "Both your mother and I agree about something!"

Elizabeth laughed. Grateful that Charlotte was always, and would always, be there for her.

*(*

Waking with a wicked hangover, Elizabeth childishly waited until she knew Darcy would have already left for work before she went to his place. If he didn't want her to use his penthouse for the adoption party, her mom had grudgingly informed her that she could use theirs. But she'd be seriously displeased if it came to that. It would be a nightmare to move venues, even more so because she would have to face her mother's inquisition about why she couldn't have it at the penthouse. But, she would do what she had to so that the party went on without a hitch.

_And, after the party? _

He wouldn't want her there anymore. She'd be reasonable, mature as she packed up her belongings. She actually felt embarrassed for putting on such a display where he worked. Her only consolation was that no one witnessed her little performance in the parking garage and that she had held it together until she made it there.

Elizabeth was surprised that her card still worked in the elevator. Opening the door to the penthouse, she reminded herself that she just had to get through with the party. If she could do that, she could just hide out in her apartment for a few weeks until she recovered enough to find humor in this latest debacle. She wondered how many women had ever met their rival in a sombrero? She'd probably looked like a kid playing dress up for Halloween! Not a sophisticated equal for a man like Darcy. She rubbed her temples. Humiliation with a hangover required too much effort.

Sighing, she glanced at her watch grateful she had a distraction. She had to decorate, warm up the appetizers and put the finishing touches on the adoption cake she had chilling in the refrigerator. She took off her sunglasses, ignored the throb in her cranium and made her way to the kitchen. She'd texted Darcy after she parked in the garage and asked if it was alright to still have the party there. If he didn't text her back in the next hour, she'd just assume she should move the party. She laid her sombrero on the island.

She should gather the stuff in anticipation of his anger. After all, why should he text her back when she'd ignored his calls all night long? She still hadn't listened to his messages not wanting to hear his vitriol or his wild assumptions of where she had gone. Of course, he would assume she went running into another man's arms. He probably thought she was wanting in fidelity every bit as much as she was lacking in intellect and self-control.

Then, she noticed the carriers that she had used to transport her Mexican dinner were on the counter. Freshly washed. His breakfast dishes were rinsed and sitting in the strainer waiting to be put away. Everything was orderly, clean. Exactly how she liked to keep her kitchen. Another reminder he could look after himself just fine without her. She was unnecessary. She stood in the middle of the kitchen at a loss of what to do, struggling to find a place to begin.

"So, you finally came home." For a moment, she thought she had conjured up his voice. She turned, not expecting to actually see him. He was in the same suit from the previous night. It was severely wrinkled. Working on DARPA must have gone late. She hoped she had not been such a big distraction. His tired eyes and unshaven cheeks added to his wild air. "Where did you go last night, Elizabeth? And, don't try telling me you went to your place. I **know** you didn't go there. And, I **know **you didn't go to your parents."

Had he gone looking for her? Had he truly worried? This surprised her.

"I went to a friend's." She was curious how he would do without all the facts. With omissions.

His mouth formed an angry twist. "And, did you have fun with your friend?"

"Yes, I did. Thanks for asking." She was not going to be more graphic. He deserved no particulars. She was irritated at the superior tone in his voice. She'd done nothing wrong. He needed a reminder. "How about you? Did you and Cheryl enjoy the dinner I made you?"

"Enough!" He roared, slamming both hands down on the island between them. The vibration was such that he knocked over her sombrero. He stepped forward and actual fear pumped blood through her veins. The mask he wore every day was completely gone. He looked thunderous. His eyes the color of pitch. He stopped suddenly, his breathing uneven. "You don't know what things I've been imagining all night. How worried, I've been! That you were somewhere dead in a ditch? That you went to him! Were you too busy with your friend to simply answer your phone! Have you no compassion?"

"Too busy? You mean did I sleep with my friend?"

His breath caught. "Did you, Elizabeth? Tell me honestly."

Did he really have such little faith in her?

"I did sleep with my friend." A stupefied look claimed his face. She remembered the wedding video. A man and his balloon. He deserved to be taken to task for the week he'd put her through and for making his assumptions about Vince, but she could not be this cruel to him. She turned from him, absently put up his dishes. "I had no choice. Charlotte doesn't have a guest bedroom at her apartment. Her couch is way too lumpy for a comfortable night sleep."

It took a moment, but she heard him whisper, "You went to Charlotte's?"

"Yes, where did you think I went?" Elizabeth turned back to face him, well aware of the answer.

Bloodshot eyes searched hers. "You know what I thought."

"For your information, I've never been the one to cheat." She felt sad he didn't have any faith in her. It hurt. "I wouldn't start with a man I'm contractually obligated to."

"I should have known you would honor your commitments."

His words stung, but she worked through it. "I'm surprised to see you here this morning." She picked up her sombrero. "I thought you would have gone in to work by now. Isn't the final DARPA submission due today?"

"It is. In a few hours." She was the recipient of a long examination. Finally, he shut his eyes. "And, you probably want to get ready for your party tonight. I guess I'll shower and get out of your way." He stopped in the doorway, running a finger along the molding but not looking at her. "You'll have the party here as planned tonight? You'll be here when I get home."

Nodding, she poured a cup of coffee. She did not round up his belongings for him. She did not pack his lunch or prepare his thermos for him. He was a grown up and could look after himself just fine. When she heard him leave, she took her cell out of her purse, turned it back on. Sixty missed calls. Thirty-seven messages. They had stopped only fifteen minutes before she walked through the door after she sent the text asking him about the party. Without listening to his messages, she deleted each and every one. It would do her no good to hear his allegations about where she had spent the night, such ugly things would only reignite her anger.

*(*

The great room was decorated with boughs of blue flowers and balloons. There were going to be twenty or so guests so she had thought this would be the best room for the gathering with its panoramic view of the city. Everything looked ready. The cake was decorated. A giant stork carrying a bundle of blue blankets. The appetizer trays were strategically organized. The couple and their guests should be arriving soon. She backed up eyeing the room, checking the composition. Did it look alright? She hoped it did not come off as cheesy. It was such a serious occasion. A family becoming one. She did not want to disappoint Paul or Steve on such an important day.

"It looks very festive, Elizabeth." Her heart hammered at the sound of his voice. She had hoped he would come, but she was still surprised by his presence. She imagined he would have something way more important to do that did not involve her or her silly party. That he would have gotten into something in the lab and forgotten.

In his hand was a bundle of daisies and wild flowers. He'd never bought her flowers before. "I know they aren't your favorite. Forgive me, but I couldn't bring myself to buy you the same thing another man had already given you." He looked at the gathered blooms. "When I saw them, they reminded me of you."

She took them without comment, inhaling the scent of the unique mixture. She knew he picked them out for her. This was not an arrangement made by a florist for someone anonymous. It touched her. Though, she wasn't done clinging to her anger.

"You look very pretty." She was dressed in a plain, rose colored sheath dress and cork heels. Nothing special. Her hair in a messy ponytail. "Is there anything you would like help with?"

"No. I've got it all under control."

"Of course you do." Darcy said softly. He sighed, then consulted his watch, "Why don't I shower and change then? Our guests should be arriving soon, right?"

Elizabeth nodded. He had anticipated them by just a half an hour. She imagined that the night would be uncomfortable with matters unresolved between her and Darcy, but she found his presence next to her reassured instead of distracted. Instead of choosing a crisp suit that would have stuck out at such a gathering, he'd changed into jeans and a wine colored dress shirt that complimented her dress. She'd never seen him in such casual wear. Or, in such warm colors. As their guests arrived, it became clear that it was not just his attire that he changed. Tonight, he made every effort. He spoke to every one of the guests as he lingered by her side the entire evening. Ready to give her any assistance she needed. Her Silent Knight.

The food was well received. Her cake she'd spent so much time on was admired. It brought her joy to nourish others, to be part of their celebrations. It was an honor. The star of the show, Aiden Michael, a healthy six-month old baby with cherub cheeks was an absolute delight. She'd spent a half an hour in awe of the child holding him close to her bosom as the baby's new fathers ate themselves. Counting toes. Inhaling sweet baby breath. Blowing raspberries into his bare belly earning a giggle. Baby giggles. Was there ever a happier sound? It was impossible not to feel hopeful when holding a new life in your arms.

Presents were opened. The new parents received quite a few nice things. Even though Elizabeth catered the event, she felt as she watched from the sidelines that she should have gotten something for the couple. The oversight made her feel uncomfortable. She could have bought a few outfits or a blanket. Something. Instead, she felt awkward as the present table emptied. Names were recorded for thank you cards later.

The last item on the gift table was a card. A card she was surprised to learn was from her and Will. It contained a sizeable check because as the card indicated, there would be things they needed that they did not get today. Things the baby would need as he matured. Naturally, the men seemed to think it was her doing. She accepted their gratitude when it became apparent that Darcy would be more comfortable with her having the credit.

Finally, the evening ended. She drug out the cleaning of the dishes, the breakdown of the party. She willed Darcy to go to his lab but she knew it was a vain wish. She knew instinctively she was on borrowed time. He wanted to talk. Such a frightening concept. A man of few words wishing to speak. Suddenly, she was so very exhausted. She didn't want to post mortem the events of last night. She'd give anything to strike such a horrible day from the calendar, to make it disappear. It had been such a waste of one of their precious days.

Oh, how she wished she could turn back time. To Saturday morning when she had woken to find his letter. Or, Sunday when she had woken in his arms. Or, Monday even when they had last laid in his bed laughing together. Or, perhaps, she could turn back time back all the way to the wedding. Yes, back to their dance. Instead of implying she never wanted to see him again, she would have invited him out for coffee. What a moron that Elizabeth had been! How different things would be now if she had only opened her eyes then before it had been too late. Wiping at the tears on her cheek, she really wished she could turn back time. Just this once. She'd give anything for the power. Just this one time.

"You've been in here a while, do you need help with anything?"

Caught crying, she turned quickly away. "No. I don't need anything."

Darcy crossed the kitchen, stopped behind her. She could feel him behind her. Quietly unyielding. Knowing his persistence, she turned to face him. His face remained passive, but she saw the muscle of his jaw work. Slowly, as if he was unsure of his reception, he raised his hand to her cheek. With his thumb, he brushed at one tear only for another to take its place. She wished she was one of those pretty criers. Like Jane. But, she went all Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. Splotchy skin and red rimmed eyes. Just one more thing she was not good at.

Gently, Darcy folded her against his chest. She felt him inhale then exhale as he tightened his hold on her. She could hear his heartbeat. It was a loud, strong drumbeat. Firm. Reliable.

"I can't stand seeing you cry, Elizabeth. You were made for laughter, light."

He kissed her temple as he had so many times since she'd moved in with him. He bent down, arm under her knees, swung her up easily. Carrying her past her bedroom, he took her to his.

Darcy deposited her gently on his bed, knelt in front of her and slowly removed her shoes. She was numb. Fatigued. He stood her up, parted her from her dress, unhooked her bra. He carefully pulled her ponytail loose. She did not stop him but she had never in her life felt less like having sex. He kissed her lips lightly. He said her name. Wiped her tears with both hands. Then, he did the most remarkable thing. He fished out a well worn MIT t-shirt from a drawer she had never seen him wear, and pulled it down over her. It smelled of him, fell long around her thighs. He turned down the sheets of his bed, stripped himself down to his boxers. He got in, settled against his pillows and held out a hand to her.

Confused, she looked down at him.

"Come to bed with me, Elizabeth." He patted the spot next to him, before looking at her in such a vulnerable way. "Please."

She took the spot next to him. Immediately, he wrapped a strong arm around her middle as his other hand sought hers and weaved their fingers together. Her back against his chest. Spooning.

Once settled, he kissed her neck, right below her ear. The spot he had marked her the night they had made love for the first time.

"Tonight, I want nothing more than to hold you close, to feel you next to me. We both need rest. Tomorrow. Tomorrow will be soon enough for our talk."

She tried to fight it. She tried to relish the feeling of his arms wrapped around her, but she was too wiped out. Sleep came over her like a warm blanket.


	11. Chapter 9 Part 2

There are only two chapters left and then HEA! I will try to post Chapter 10 next weekend in one post. Then the final one the following week. THANK YOU ALL for the comments and for following along. I worried my un-traditional story would not resonant with the readers here, but you all have made me feel so welcome and safe.

The Doll Chapter 9 Part 2

Darcy woke disorientated, acquiring too much sleep rather than too little. Consulting a clock, he realized he'd slept nearly nine hours. For a man use to surviving on five hours of sleep, it was a little disconcerting to have rested as long he had. A gaze confirmed that Elizabeth still slept. Sometime in the middle of the night, she had turned and they were now entwined. She looked untroubled, delicate in her slumber. One of her hands rested on his chest right over his heart, her hair flowed, curled about her shoulders. He breathed in deeply her unique scent of honeysuckle and rain. With such a lush inducement, his body's reaction was as expected.

The natural compulsion to wake her with his body was hard to ignore. At the very least his mind traitorously coaxed he should press his lips against her slumbering ones. It had been so long since they had kissed. Kissed properly. He resisted. She was such an inviting, passionate creature that he would be stimulated by her sleepiest of reactions.

This was not a time for love making. It was time for frankness. Honesty. And, as much as Darcy feared the outcome, they needed to talk. Watching her, he admitted the contract they had signed was not worth the paper it was printed on. It had been a cobbled together, hasty affair. An offer made by a terribly, terribly desperate man.

The night his best friend had married her sister was suppose to be a celebration. One he had anticipated, prepared and dreamed about for months. Such a joyous occasion turned nightmare. She had been affronted when he told her she looked lovely in her gown, refused to accept the sincere fact their dance was the highlight of his evening. The first time he got to hold her close in his arms? How could it have been otherwise? Worse, she called their Mondays together _infernal. Infernal. _Those weekly dinners which had been an oasis for him, had been a drudgery for her. 

At the airport, as he spoke with his pilot and made sure all was readiness for the couple, Darcy tried to ignore what her parting words had meant. Jane was surprised, but happy to see him at the airport. Her excitement when Charles revealed their honeymoon destination had been a painful foil to her own sister's reaction to him. After seeing the newlyweds off with a celebratory bottle of champagne and his best wishes, Darcy had gone back to his place. Instead of heading for his lab, he went to his balcony and looked out on the city. An overwhelming sense of loneliness swept over him. Elizabeth. She had to be made to see reason. She could not mean it. She could not really mean to severe their only connection. Never to see one another again? Elizabeth could not be this cruel.

Without considering how she would interpret his actions, Darcy went to her apartment. Under the circumstances, he couldn't stay away. It was only after he rang her doorbell and he was waiting that it crossed his mind that she might not be alone. Garter Guy might be with her. Watching the man kiss her had been traumatic. Had hurt in a way nothing else ever had. Remembering the kiss made Darcy frantic. Could Garter Guy be inside with her? God, he'd gladly ruin that man's night!

The rainstorm had been providential. He strongly suspected Elizabeth wouldn't have invited him in if not for the horrendous weather. As he followed her room to room as she closed her windows to the storm outside, a tempest all its own brewed in him as he fixated on the bare skin of her athletic legs. He'd never seen them exposed before and he longed to feel the strength of those legs wrapping around him.

By the time they ended up in her bedroom, Darcy was losing the battle with his own restraint. The messy state of her bed beckoned. Then, the shock of seeing her vibrator. Instead of pouring gasoline on his feelings, hope smothered his lust. She was a kindred spirit! Self-sufficient, as he was. Taking matters into her own hands with the resources she had at her disposal. Unsatisfied. She'd understand his dependency on Xy.

Leave? There was never a chance in hell he was leaving after seeing Prince Charming. That one brief visit to her bedroom had exposed her in a way that months of dinners had not. Provided him a wicked sense of insight. The idea that she was frustrated sexually put her in real danger. Gave him an upper hand in their negotiations. Clearly, as he glanced about her little apartment she was also struggling financially. He knew from their dinner conversations that she was currently in between jobs. The idea to hire her had been the inspiration of the moment.

Darcy offered her everything he instinctively knew would entice her. Sex. Satisfaction. Escapism. Freedom. Opportunity. Curiosity. As much as people admired him for his scientific aptitude, he was an equally crafty salesman. He could sell when he wanted to, when he put his mind to it. Oh, how he had wanted to sell her. He had not expected, but should have, her humor, her questions, her candidness. That she could be so naughty aroused him to a point of pain. That they could talk like this about such a subject only reinforced her suitability.

Before long, though, he broke the number one rule of sales. He got caught up in his own pitch, become invested in her satisfactory answer. She proved as elusive as ever. After exposing his wishes, her rejection had angered him.

_**Incompatible?**_

How on earth could she make such a claim? The heat he felt every time she was near. How he knew when she was in a room without looking. The almost overwhelming need that engulfed him whenever he first laid eyes on her each week as if something inside of him had missed her so completely.

No! No, it could not be entirely one sided. Darcy's heated mind simply refused to accept it. On that night so long ago, he knew if he stepped out the door, they'd never be together alone again. She would forever label him as perverse and would see to it that this private moment was their last. Her willful need to misinterpret his every action drove him quite literally mad. Had driven him to kiss her.

Elizabeth made a sound, her lips curled in a soft smile as if she knew he was thinking about her.

Darcy had insisted he wanted her to enter the experiment with eyes wide open, but he had blind folded them both with well meant lies. Looking back, it was comical. He wanted nothing but the information needed to finish Xy? Please. It was about science! How had he uttered such nonsense? How had she believed it? How had he?

Fate had conspired against them from the start. He had no way of knowing that Georgie would arrive when she did. No way to know that Elizabeth would go along, play the part of an interested girlfriend so convincingly. Touch him so casually. Elizabeth would never have understood what that one simple gesture of him taking her hand would mean. She wouldn't know, but Georgie would. His sweet sister was over the moon. Simply loved Elizabeth.

Really, who could blame his sister? Elizabeth was such a beautiful, kind, vivacious woman. She was forever burrowing deeper into his heart, claiming more of it as her own. It was so very frightening how much she meant to him. He'd been desperate just to lose their Monday nights, now he had so much more on the line.

If they were only intended to have these remaining few weeks together, Darcy needed to find a way to make the most of them. Instead of pushing her away, he needed to embrace her. Do things each day to sweep her off of her feet. Find ways to bind her to him. Make it unthinkable for her to leave him. He didn't want to look back years from now and know he had wasted this opportunity. That he had not exhausted his every resource to keep her.

"Will." Elizabeth whispered his name. The longing he felt upon waking returned, amplified as she snuggled closer. After her complete emotional meltdown in the kitchen, Elizabeth deserved to rest unmolested. Darcy pulled himself gently from her, sliding from the bed slowly as to not disturb her. As soon as he stood, she moved to fill the space he vacated. A frown formed on her face briefly, before she hugged his pillow.

The talk. He reminded looking down on her. The talk would hopefully be a starting point. Darcy hoped he was not too late. That his cowardice had not done irrevocable damage. When she had returned to him the previous morning, he swore he would never give her cause to leave again. Not now. Not at the predetermined end of their contract. As soon as she drove away from Darcy Electronics, he realized it. He realized he didn't want to ever lose her. The begging her to return had started immediately with the first message.

"Come back to me. Come home to me."

His numerous messages never deviated. He had been useless at the lab. Worried. Distracted beyond belief. He wondered to his office, sat behind his desk, and picked up the picture from the benefit he kept there. They were dancing. She was looking up at him laughing. He was smiling down at her. The picture had only made him call her again. And, again.

Getting nothing accomplished, he put Malcolm in charge and he went looking for her. He could not just sit and idly wait. As he expected, her little beat up Honda was missing from the guest spot next to his in the penthouse's parking garage. She'd warned him. She'd leave if he ever treated her badly again. And, there was no question he'd treated her badly.

She had borne so much since his Monday heartbreak. His heart crucified his brain. He had gotten unconsciously what he had wanted. He'd hurt her as badly as she had him. Was he now happy he had gotten even with her? His heart was devastated, inconsolable. Would she come back to him? How much forgiveness could he expect one woman to have?

"Come back to me. Come home to me."

Darcy had driven to her apartment building. He parked in the dark. The lights in lot adjacent to her building were out. The door to the lobby was still unsecure. The stairwell that led up to her apartment unlit. He fumed. Each step, anger flared hotter. It had been the first directive he had issued to the property manager he had hired after he bought the building. He was quite blunt about it. Security. Her security in particular was a priority. He was assured it would be handled first thing. He'd stressed it was their most important duty.

Obviously, they had a totally different definition of 'first thing.'

Darcy called the president of the management company at home and taken him to task, venting his irrational anger, letting him know how replaceable he was. He was assured that the building would be secured as he had instructed before end of business the following day. Darcy demanded to know about the other upgrades he had ordered for the property. They were to begin the following week. The new windows. The fresh paint and carpet. The new HVAC unit. The flower boxes. The little plot of dirt that ran along the parking lot which was to be turned into a community garden. If Elizabeth ever returned to live at her apartment, she would find it infinitely better than when she left it to stay with him. If she never wanted to see him again, Darcy would still know if her rent was late, or if she was struggling again. He'd be in a position to help her. Even if it had to be anonymously.

As he drove back to his place, emotions still swirling, Darcy reviewed his options and called her parent's house. It was well after midnight. Her younger sister, Lydia, answered. He apologized for calling so late. The young girl had just snorted said something about old people and their bed times. Ignoring the urge to give the teenager a piece of his mind, he briskly explained that he had worked late and he was looking for Elizabeth. Had she by any chance seen her? Lydia had told him no. If Elizabeth wasn't at her own place, she suggested he call Charlotte. He asked after the number, but she couldn't remember it and she couldn't be troubled to look for it. If Elizabeth called or came by the house, she'd pass along his message. Then, she hung up.

"Come back to me. Come home to me."

The penthouse felt cold, empty without her. He could not be in any room without something reminding him of her. The kitchen. The bedrooms. The dining room. Now even his lab at work.

"Come back to me. Come home to me."

He had finally ended up in his lab. Sitting at one of the long tables, puttering, listening. His cell phone within reach. Waiting. He couldn't concentrate. Couldn't focus. The only thing he could seem to do was hit redial on his phone.

"Come back to me. Come home to me."

*(*

Whenever he had a problem, Darcy gravitated to science for a solution. This morning was no different. He had gone to his lab, but instead of shutting the world out as usual, he left the door standing wide open. A physical invitation to her. He wanted her to find him. He wanted to be disturbed. If he wanted more, he had to be willing to give more. Show her how it could be between them. Earn her trust, because he wanted her to share everything with him as well. Her concerns, her hopes, her wishes. Then, he could go about making her worries disappear while helping her achieve her dreams. Isn't that what someone who loved you did? Helped you with your daily burdens?

A few hours passed. While Darcy was looking at the computer code for the DARPA Drone, he heard his name. He spun on his stool to see her standing awkwardly in the open doorway, gazing around the space with naked interest. Like a doe learning to stand. Awkward. She hovered, clearly waiting for an invitation. He smiled at her. She smiled back.

"Welcome, Elizabeth Bennet." His smiled deepened at her startled reaction to Meira's greeting.

Darcy quickly said, "Meira, Elizabeth is visiting us in the lab today." 

"Visiting, Dr. Darcy?" Of course, the computer would not understand. No one had ever before been in the laboratory with him. "Go offline Meira. I will manually activate you when I need you."

"Very good, Dr. Darcy."

Wonder was painted on her face, as Elizabeth looked skyward. "What was that?"

"Meira. My computer assistant."

She giggled. "She reminded me of the smart house in Eureka."

"Eureka?" He didn't understand the reference.

"Never mind, Dr. Darcy." She rolled her eyes, and then cast a curious look about the room as she came forward. "It's a lot bigger in here than I imagined."

Darcy looked around the familiar space trying to see it as she did. The space was massive. It was probably one of the most expensive laboratories per square foot in New York, but it brought him peace. He liked having the lab close by so he could tinker whenever he wanted.

He took a sip of his coffee. "Did you sleep well, Elizabeth?"

She nodded, shyly. She was still in his MIT shirt but he could tell she'd washed her face and brushed her teeth. Her hair was tidier but still an attractive mass of unruly curls. She came to stand next to him, leaning forward, curiosity making her face expressive. "What are you working on?"

On the large operating table in from of him was a remote, one of the small prototype drones and several large batteries. "I'm trying to see if I can make the drone more efficient. There are some redundancies in its programming that I think can be removed to make the handling more responsive."

"It looks like alphabet soup." She said looking at the screen. "How do you make sense of it?"

"Like any language, programming is not too hard when you become fluent."

"Of course, it isn't difficult. Just any ole' person could do it." She picked up the body of the drone, weighing it in her hands. "It looks like one of those planes you see being flown in Central Park in the summer by those old retired guys."

He laughed at her description. "The final drones will be a little larger and more high tech, but you are right. The basics are the same." He showed her how the special doors on the drone that would release to deliver food stuffs and water decontamination kits. The goal was that they would be able to redeploy several times on the same battery. Their light weight and size would make it easier to get into hard to reach areas. Disaster areas. War zones.

"Can I try to fly it?" Her face was aglow with near childish enthusiasm.

When she looked like that, Darcy could deny her nothing. He handed the remote to her then wrapped an arm around her as he helped her with the controls. She squealed when the drone hovered about twelve inches off the table. She moved it to the left and the right before he helped her land it to the table.

"That's much better than driving one of those little remote control cars. I got one of them for Charlotte's little brother, Cody, last Christmas and no one was safe!" She laughed at the far away memory, telling him over her shoulder. "Charlotte's mom was mad at me for giving it to him she didn't talk to my mom for two weeks." She chewed her bottom lip, that naughty light in her eyes. "I wonder what trouble I can get into if I get him a plane this year."

"Maybe we can make him a very special one, design it specifically to his tastes. His favorite color . I bet he'd like that."

"Yeah." Her smile withered at his suggestion. His mind replayed his comment. Christmas. She thought they wouldn't be together for it. She turned from him. Turned from the conversation. He let her. Putting down the remote, she looked at two batteries. "So, what are they, some type of high techy solar powered special thingymajobs?"

Darcy was nearly embarrassed. She was totally oblivious as she picked up the first cell and then the other. Turning them over. Use solar power for the drones? The idea had never occurred to him. Strangely, it had never occurred to any of those working on the team. He took a pencil out from behind his ear and wrote a note to himself to research the viability of solar panels. He wondered if the panels could be built to form the drone's skin. Would it affect the drag, maneuverability? Yes, the change would require them going back to specs. If they could make it work, though, it would extend the battery life considerably. He thanked her for the suggestion.

"Anytime. You know I love to do what I can to forward science."

She frowned again. Put the battery down, drew away from him. She was remembering last week. Right before she had kissed him in the kitchen, before his _accident_. What had started them on the conversation that led up to the best two days of his life.

Darcy put his notebook down, watched her explore. She wondered to the next station. He was working on some materials for convection cooking. He had gotten the idea when she had burned her finger one morning making their breakfast. There had to be a way to make what she loved to do safer, more efficient. She was intrigued as she opened the lab book. He hadn't gotten far from conception, but she spent a good deal of time looking over his drawings, his notes, his progress. When she was done reading, she glanced at him with a thoughtful look. If she stayed, it might be something they could work on together. A project that could marry her passion and his. It was a market previously unexplored by Darcy Electronics. With her out of the box thinking, he couldn't wait to delve into it. It could be a massive revenue stream.

Elizabeth moved to the eye wash area making faces in the several mirrors that made up the booth. There was the burn bench, a first aid kit and a full emersion tank. Fire extinguishers and sprinklers were spaced liberally throughout the area. His lab was high tech. No expense was spared. His own safety was something he took seriously. Especially when he worked mostly alone.

Like a sunburst, around the center there were eleven stations. Each held a different project. On the far side of the room were his older, discontinued projects. They were neatly labeled and stored in large bins. She'd pulled each drawer out, peaked inside. Spare parts took up another sizeable section of his lab. When she had finished seeing all there was to see, Elizabeth's eyes drifted back to him. Without asking, Darcy knew what she had sought and had not found. It was the reason he had left the door open.

"Would you like to see Xy?" He whispered, wiping his palms on his lab coat. He was nervous.

A serious look settled on Elizabeth's feature. Silently, she nodded again. Darcy led her to the far wall of the laboratory. He entered his code into the wall mounted security system. The capsule opened, Xy rose from the floor. The table stopped at waist level. He lowered the sheet to her shoulders and moved so Elizabeth could inspect the robot as thoroughly as she had his other projects.

As he waited, Darcy felt like strangely as he had during science fairs as a boy being judged. She shook her head slightly. "I didn't expect her to look so much like me."

Before he could stop himself, he told her, "She really doesn't. Not really."

"You're kidding, right?" She arched an eyebrow in disbelief, before touching her cheek. "She even has a mole in the same spot I do." It was true. Darcy had noticed the beauty mark during their second dinner together. It had held his interest so much that when Xy's skin was synthesized he had the blemish added.

"Maybe you could try your hand at revolutionizing vibrators next. Make a man for the ladies." She waggled her eyebrows, but her eyes were sad. As if her heart wasn't really in her teasing.

"No." Darcy said, "I'm not interested in taking Darcy Electronics into the field of romance enhancements." Hell, he wasn't that interested in finishing Xy. Not anymore. One taste of Elizabeth had forever ruined his palate for any other woman.

"That's too bad. You do amazing work." She was looking about Xy's ears. "How do you open her eyes?" He hesitated, then demonstrated. Seeing Elizabeth's freshly scrubbed face so close to Xy's only made the flaws in his creation even more apparent. "Wow, they look real."

"No." He whispered, running a hand through his hair. "They're not the right color. The touch of green in yours is missing. I'm convinced, after all these months of trying, that the glow in yours will be impossible to reproduce. It's one of a kind. Unique to you."

"They look just like mine, Will." Elizabeth contradicted, bent to sniffed at Xy's hair. Standing, she rubbed a curl between her index finger and thumb.

"It feels like a wig. Doesn't it?" He complained, before she could say anything. "The new sample came in last week but I've been too busy to install it. It doesn't smell plastic but it doesn't feel like silk. Not the way yours does." He reached out to put his hand in her hair, but she eluded him by stepping away. Her rejection of his touch smarted.

"Can I?" Elizabeth asked, picking up the sheet. Darcy had hoped her curiosity would be appeased without revealing Xy completely. After a moment, he nodded. She moved the sheet to Xy's waist. Looking down at her own breasts, Elizabeth screwed up her lips. "I think Xy's got me beat by at least a cup size. I guess it should come as no surprise you'd enhance hers. You'd wanted her to arouse you in every way."

"Yours breasts are perfect, Elizabeth. They fit perfectly in my hands." It was true. Darcy found nothing wanting in her physically. "Xy's are way too hard. Yours so much softer, more natural, supple."

She rubbed at one of the silicon infused breasts. "They don't feel hard. In fact, I know women who would pay good money to have these. They are quite beautiful."

"They're not beautiful. They're completely wrong. Wrong size. Wrong coloring. Now that I've seen yours, they have to be redone. It will take weeks to redo. Weeks I really can't spare right now."

"Weeks?" She questioned as she pulled the sheet completely off, standing at Xy's feet looking up her body as one would examine the side of a boat. "How long did it take you to get this far?"

"Almost a year." Was she mad? Horrified? Her expressive face was unusually unreadable. He began to feel anxious. "These last few months, I've had a lot of setbacks. Even the pigment of her skin is wrong. I don't know when I'll be able to find the time but I have to go back to her base and start over."

"Yes, her skin is not right. I tan pretty easily." She said airily, as she ran a hand down Xy's leg.

"I didn't know in November that you tan the way you do in the summer. I should have guessed with your coloring, but it didn't occur to me until it was too late to change it."

Shes had gone completely still. Her eyes squeezed shut. What had he said? Instinctively, he moved to her. "Elizabeth - "

She stepped away, holding up a hand, staying him. "Now that you have all the data you need, when will you finish her?" She hugged herself. One finger ran up to her cheek touching her mole. "She's obviously close to completion."

"No, she's not anywhere near close to being ready. She's got so many flaws. I'm not even sure if I can spare that much time on her." He waved his arms, directing her attention back to the rest of the room. "I've got so many other projects that need my time on top of the ones at work - "

"Will, you shouldn't hide her away in here." There was that sad look again. "She's a masterpiece. I feel a little vain saying that since she looks like me, but she is. Though I guess I should have expected you'd create something special, I keep forgetting that Xy is a labor of love for you."

It was the second time Elizabeth had called it that. "Xy has never been a labor of love." Darcy said covering the robot back up. He smacked the button to reverse the process to put it back in its capsule. "More she was a labor of necessity."

"Necessity?"

"After my breakup with Cheryl, I was - " How did he tell her he was just too tired to keep looking? Wouldn't that make him sound lazy? "Disenchanted with relationships."

Elizabeth chewed her lip, looked at her feet. Her pink toenail polish was vibrant against the lab floor. She glanced up at him, supplying, "You know it is normal to be upset after a break up, Will. I imagine after two years together you were pretty devastated."

"No, I was not devastated." He sighed, collapsing once more into a lab stool. Frustrated. How did he make her understand. They broke up on a Tuesday. Went to work on Wednesday as if nothing had happened at all. Neither he or Cheryl had been as _invested _as Elizabeth imagined. "Cheryl and I were never in love. My heart was never engaged. At the time, I didn't think I was capable of falling in love. Why won't you believe me?"

"Because it doesn't make any sense, Will." She raised her hands to her shoulder, shrugging. "Why would you remain with a woman for two years if you didn't love her? Who does that?"

"We had our work. We had science." Darcy had this overwhelming need to touch her. He put a hand on her waist. He took encouragement from the fact she did not pull away. "We'd go weeks without seeing each other."

"Weeks?" She chewed her lip. Worry clouded her eyes. "You didn't want to see her for weeks?"

"Yes, weeks." Darcy pulled her closer to him, buried his nose in her neck. Lingering at his spot. Trying to make her understand these few weeks with her meant more than the two years with Cheryl, then the sum of all of his relationships. For the first time, he was _invested_. "Whereas, I can't seem to be able to go five minutes without wanting to be near you. Without wanting to talk to you. To touch you."

"You know that is not true. If you really felt like that, we wouldn't have had the terrible week we just went through." She tried to pull away, but he firmly held her in place. She sighed, stopped resisting him. "I would have been deliriously happy with you touching me, talking to me all week. It was not my imagination, Will. You deliberately pushed me away."

"I know I've confused and hurt you, Elizabeth." He leaned back from her so they could see eye to eye. "You have borne so much and you've done it all with such grace that I am in awe of you."

"I don't want you in awe of me." She did escape him then, pulling away from him. She sighed, running a hand through her hair. "I just want you to tell me what I did that was so wrong. I know you were working hard for DARPA, but your distance felt more than that. Are you already bored with me? Is it that you got what you wanted and you don't know how to tell me to leave?"

"No, I don't want you to leave me. Bored with you? I find you utterly fascinating. Everything you do and say." Darcy rubbed his temple. Did she honestly think that he didn't want her? Even after last night? "As far as did I get what I wanted? Yes, I did. I won't insult you. I desired to have intercourse with you. Once you made it clear you wanted the same, I eagerly dispensed with every single reservation I had. I wanted to be with you that badly, Elizabeth." He met her eyes, smiling sheepishly. "Being with you has to be the most enjoyable experiences of my life. You know I wanted you. You cannot have misunderstood my attention last weekend. I still want you. I'll _always _want you."

"Really?" Doubt was firmly stamped on her face. "Because your actions say something entirely different. You had Richard pick me up for the benefit like I was your dry cleaning. Then, you called me a distraction when I brought you team food - "

As long as he lived, he knew he'd never forget how she looked standing in the middle of the lab's kitchen wearing her sombrero, in her white peasant dress. Smiling at him happily. "Surprise." He was. By her daily. Such a whimsical, wonderful woman. Like a fairy in a Shakespearean play. She wanted so desperately to please him. He'd allowed his fear to rule him long enough.

"I agree that it must be very confusing for you to hear me tell you repeatedly I want you then for me to do everything I can to push you away." He swallowed. "At the time, I felt the distance I created between us a necessity."

"Why?" She shook her head, hugging herself. "Why is it a necessity?"

"Self-preservation, Elizabeth. I wished to protect myself from you."

"Protect yourself?" Her forehead puckered in confusion.

"My feelings for you are such that. . ." He shut his eyes, struggling to find the words to make her understand, "Our regard for one another is so hopelessly unequal."

"Hopelessly?" She looked as she had in the kitchen, like she was on the edge of crying again.

"Oh, Elizabeth. Why do you never hear me?" He shut his eyes, looked heavenward. Then, he fixed his attention on her face. "Why do you willfully misinterpret what I say? Sometimes, it feels so deliberate."

"I don't know what you are talking about." She seemed self-conscious suddenly.

"Don't you?" He tilted his head, his eyes pleaded with her to miraculously understand. To give him some unconscious clue she felt the same. That he was not jumping alone into the abyss. She shook her head. Her eyes so sad, haunted. She had to care about him _a little_ to be as upset that she was the other night. Right? Darcy grabbed the edge of the lab table, took a deep breath, and he jumped. It was a petrifying feeling. "Elizabeth, do you really not know that I've been in love with you since last October."

Her mouth fell open in shock. He inched toward her. Slowly. "I remember the exact moment it happened. You were laughing in the kitchen with Jane, wearing a green blouse the same shade as the sprinkles in your eyes. You'd made a pumpkin log for our desert. There was powdered sugar everywhere. On the floor. On the counter. You even had a smear of icing on your cheek. I helped Charles bring up some pumpkins from your car and you turned when I entered wearing that smile you wear when you are completely happy." She shook her head, but said nothing. "Falling in love didn't really feel like falling. It felt quite like running into a brick wall. I simply could not breathe. I haven't been the same since that moment."

"You couldn't have been in love with me." She kept shaking her head. Her brow furrowed. She was agitated. "You said I was tolerable. You weren't tempted by me at all. I heard you myself, Will."

Darcy had been so angry with Charles for tricking him into a blind date the night they had met. He had looked at her, and it was true that he had not been impressed on that first night. But no sooner had he made it clear to himself that she had hardly a good feature, he began to find her face was rendered uncommonly intelligent by the beautiful expression of her dark eyes. To this discovery succeeded some others equally mortifying. Though he had detected with a critical eye more than one failure of perfect symmetry in her form, he was forced to acknowledge her figure to be light and pleasing; he was caught by her easy playfulness.

"I know what I said the night we met. However, my opinion quickly changed. It was a matter of a few weeks and I was completely lost." He ran a hand through his hair. "I missed my chance. The next week, you wore a dress red as sin for your hot date you had after dinner. You wore your favorite boots, you know the ones with the little pom poms and the silver zipper."

"A hot date?" She crossed her arms. "I think I would have remembered some hot date - "

He ground his teeth. "Russell, the drummer?"

"Oh, him." She looked uncomfortable. "I had forgotten about him."

"Yes, I imagine he was easy to forget." Darcy said tartly, feeling a tremor of irritation even after all these months. She had amused Jane and Charles with stories of her musician for weeks while he had sat across from her anxious that this romance might be real. Thankfully, by December, the man he hated without ever seeing was shown the door. "Especially after he disrespected your mother at Thanksgiving."

"You remember that?"

"Of course, I remember. I was overjoyed at the news the man was out of your life and I wouldn't have to hear Charles' attempts at humor about his big drum sticks." He crept closer to her. "I remember everything about our Mondays. I remember what you wore, what you cooked, what you said. I hung on your every word. Each Monday, I prayed that you had not met someone at the grocery store, at yoga, through Charles. I rejoiced that your mom failed each week to find a man to become her next future son-in-law."

"I don't understand, Will. If you felt like this, why didn't you just ask me out?" She had tears in her eyes. "Why all of this with Xy?"

"I don't know why I didn't think to ask you out." His answer contained anger. Anger from all of those months of wanting her. Longing for her. "We both know you would have rejected me, turned me down smartly. Our dinners would not have continued because I would not be able to face you." He pointed a finger at her. "You couldn't accept the fact I thought you looked lovely at the wedding. And, our dance. Elizabeth, you don't know how much I'd looked forward to dancing with you."

"Did you really take dance lessons all those months?"

He nodded. "It probably is silly but I wanted very much to impress you."

"It's not silly. It's sweet." She smiled shyly. "No one has ever tried to impress me before, Will."

Darcy whispered, "You are a woman who deserves to have a man who would do things to impress you." She hugged him. In his fantasies, she'd thrown herself in his arms and told him that she felt the same way about him. He was disappointed, even though he knew it was unfair. He had loved longer. He just hoped she would find the way to the same path. That they could someday walk down the same lane at the same pace. "I forgot that, Elizabeth. I forgot that this week. I let my cowardice dictate my behavior. I won't do that again. You deserve so much more than you have received from me." He shrugged. "I'm not good at this, Elizabeth. Having feelings and sharing them. It's terribly inconvenient."

"Only you could be so romantic one second and such an idiot in the next." She giggled against his neck, she looked up at him. "Though, I have to admit, sometimes having feelings is inconvenient."

"I never have known such happiness as I know with you. Truly, Elizabeth." He pressed his forehead to hers. "I don't deserve it, but I would like another chance to begin again."

"Begin again?"

He kissed her lips lightly. "Yes, no contract. I want you to stay with me. For as long as you want. Of course, I'll pay you what is still outstanding, but - "

"No. No more money, Will." She looked sad again. "It made me feel like a prostitute that you pay me."

"That was not my intention."

"I know." She kissed his lips quickly. "However, if I am going to stay with you, I don't want any more money. And, someday, hopefully, I will be able to repay your generosity. I don't want to fight on the day I give it back to you either."

"I don't need the money back." He was concerned. "You had plans for the money. You wanted to open a restaurant. I don't want you to lose out on your dreams, Elizabeth. I want you to -"

"I don't want to open a restaurant anymore." She hugged him. "You were right. It's too risky. And, way too much work. Can you see me getting up at 5 am and going to sleep after midnight? No way! I'd be miserable. I've got to find what it is that I want to do when I grow up, though. I've been bouncing around for the last five years and I'm sick to not feel like I'm contributing to the world."

"Maybe you should be a caterer, Elizabeth?" She stiffened in his arms and glanced up at him. "You like to celebrate events. You could pick and choose what events you do and you'd have flexibility. You could use part of the money to advertise. Word of mouth will spread, Elizabeth because you are extremely talented - "

Elizabeth kissed him deeply. He was slightly dizzy when she released him. "You are a brilliantly wonderful man, Will! I am truly lucky to have you in my corner."

"As I am you." He said back, causing her to grin. Her eyes lit up.

"You know there is an upside to having a fight, Will."

"Is there?" He could think of nothing, but the relief he felt knowing that they were well on their way to heal the breach his behavior had caused. He inhaled her scent, kissed her neck.

Elizabeth pulled away from him without answering him, stopping at the doorway to give him a come-hither look. "Make up sex." Darcy raced after her, leaving it for Meira to put the lab into sleep mode.

*)*

Elizabeth felt drowsy, which was amazing considering she had slept twelve hours straight before joining Darcy in the lab. Sex with him after their talk had been more wonderful and more demanding than she remembered. He was happy. She could tell. Both dimples had starred during their workout. He had also been so much more verbose, telling her quite enthusiastically how much he loved her as he had his special moment. Now, he was looking at her with that thoughtfully intense way he had about him.

"I would have thought you memorized what I look like already." She teased.

"It is true, I think I know every inch of you," he whispered back, "I just can't believe my luck. I can't believe you agreed to stay with me."

Poor William! She wished she could tell him what he most wished to hear, but she was not ready yet. She felt she was on her way to loving him, but his odd behavior of the past week had been a setback of sorts. One thing that had been left unsaid was the fact she was just as afraid as he was of getting hurt by him. She was terrified of losing him.

"I was thinking," Darcy wrapped one of her curls around his index finger, "how would you feel about getting away from New York for awhile? We could go on a short vacation. Just the two of us."

"Just the two of us?" She tried to keep her hope in check at this unexpected suggestion. "Do you really think you could get away?"

"Are you kidding?" He rolled onto his back bringing her with him, sprawled across his chest. "Mrs. Reynolds would be thrilled to clear my calendar so I can plan a get away with you. She thinks you are the best thing that ever has happened to me."

"I am the best thing that has ever happened to you." She asserted. Then, put her chin on her folded hands. "Where will we go on our little vacation?"

"Anywhere you want?" He ran a hand along her spine. She enjoyed the languid time after they shared their bodies. The talking, the whispering, the laughing. She had missed this intimacy as much as she had the physical.

"I get to pick our destination?" She was excited with the project. She tapped a finger against her lips, pretending to consider her choices. "Let's see. How about Disneyland? We could get you a pair of those mouse ears with your name on them. Ride in the teacups together?"

"If you like." He was being such a good sport she almost missed his slight grimace. She had no doubt, though, if she were serious, that he would have them spirited away to California just to please her.

"Hm, I know. You said you wanted to leave New York, but we could always have a stay-cation. Go to the Statue of Liberty, catch a play on Broadway. Pretend to be tourists right here."

"I guess we could do that if you have your heart set on it." He suggested, then countered with, "Or, e could go someplace warm and sunny and send pictures back to Prince Charming. You know, show him what he's missing."

"Nah. He deserves no such attention! You'll take me anywhere I want?" He repeated the word 'anywhere.' "How about Pemberley?" She traced a heart on his chest, right where his was beating. "Ever since Jane told me about it, I find I've been curious to see if the estate is indeed the most idyllic of places." The look that passed over his face made it clear she'd picked a destination that would mean much to both of them. She kissed him lightly on the mouth. "When can we leave, Will?"

"Can you be packed and ready to go in the morning? I'll make the arrangements with my pilot and Mrs. Reynolds tonight. We'll leave first thing before you have a chance to change your mind." He kissed her nose. "You know I wish to appease your curiosity in all things."

"In all things?" She felt bold. "That could take a long time. You'll find I have an inexhaustible curiosity about you."

A look of pure hunger settled upon him. "As I have for you."


End file.
